• Both ZANU PF and CCC expressed dissatisfaction
• However, CCC seems to be stunned more given it already has few MPs in parliament
• Elsewhere, Nigeria is set for elections on the 25^th of  February this year

Harare- Following the gazetting of the final delimitation report on the 20th of February 2023, President Mnangagwa revealed that he will soon announce the date for the 2023 harmonised elections. However, main contesting parties have expressed dissatisfaction with the way ZEC conducted its duties.

In the election race, there are possibly two main rivals, President Mnangagwa and the youthful opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa which people believe one of them will attain the country’s highest seat. President Mnangagwa won the previous election with 50.8% while his main rival, Nelson Chamisa trailed with 44.3%. 

Delimitation is a process of dividing the country into constituencies and wards for national elections, National Assembly, or ward elections to choose councillors. 

However, the latest report drew bi-partisan condemnation by both the ruling ZANU PF party and the main opposition, CCC. In the report, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson, Priscilla Chigumba has stuck to the 20% calculating variation method for voter populations between constituencies which the legal watchdog, Veritas said variations are great and so numerous making the delimitation itself invalid.

Grievances

The opposition, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has dismissed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) delimitation report insisting the constitution had not been adhered to in coming up with constituency and ward boundaries and divided most of its strongholds to give ZANU PF an upper hand. However, ZANU-PF also suffered the same fate in some of its areas. 

Initially, CCC accused ZEC of manipulating boundaries of constituencies in favour of ZANU PF, identifying Beitbridge, where the town’s two constituencies are now divided by a street in the central business district as the worst manipulation.

In the final delimitation report, ZEC reconfigured constituencies (by splitting and combining others), especially in urban areas, the strongholds of CCC making them entirely new. This presents a fresh headache for the promising opposition party as most of its candidates have to drop or face each other in a primary election for a newly constituted constituency.

A clear example is Budiriro, a previously opposition stronghold and single constituency in Harare that has been split to become Budiriro South and Budiriro North with Budiriro North encompassing sections of Mufakose a previously stand-alone constituency.

 Another wound for CCC is the merging of Highfield West and Highfield East, previously separate constituencies while Harare South has been split to create Churu, Hunyani, and a new Harare South.

This means CCC’s Susan Matsunga the current MP for Mufakose have to take on either Costa Machingauta in Budiriro North or Shakespeare Hamauswa in Warren Park since Mufakose has been shared between the two constituencies while Willias Madzimure has to contest a primary election either with Murisi Zwizwai in Harare Central or Shakespeare Hamauswa in Warren Park.

 Zimbabwe Democratic Institute (ZDI), said the report was set to give the ruling party an upper hand. The watchdog argues that ZEC deliberately applied the 2007/8 total seats per province as its basis in coming up with the 2023 framework for allocating constituencies while sticking to its erroneous application of section 161(6).

“There is no justifiable reason for adopting this framework other than the desire to avoid loss of constituencies from ZANU PF stronghold provinces needed to secure a two-thirds majority in Parliament,” ZDI said. 

There are also arguments over ZEC’s disregarding of adult population dynamics per province presented in the 2022 census when it allocated constituencies per province. Critics argue that if it was used, 7 seats were going to be transferred from ZANU PF stronghold provinces to the opposition stronghold provinces.

ZEC further disregarded registered voter proportions per province in the total national voter population in coming up with its constituency allocation framework, a move critics say if it was used as a basis for allocating constituencies per province, 3 constituencies were going to be transferred from ZANU PF stronghold provinces to opposition stronghold provinces. 

However, the ruling ZANU PF has expressed also dissatisfaction with the report. 

The ruling party also lost some of its strongholds including Gutu North, held by ZANU PF’s Yeukai Simbanegavi.  

ZANU PF further lost several constituencies, including its stronghold, Mberengwa South and left some ZANU PF affiliates like ministers Mangaliso Ndlovu in Bulilima East and Felix Mhona in Chikomba Central without constituencies.

Regional Updates

Nigeria gears for elections amid a decaying economy

On the 25th of February 2023, voters in Africa's most populous country, Nigeria are heading for polls to select their next president. The next President is coming amid mounting dissatisfaction by the citizens due to economic hardships shaped by fast depreciating local currency, worsening insecurity, policy slippages and shortages of cash itself.

18 candidates are campaigning for the highest office but only three have a realistic chance of winning according to opinion polls. 

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 70, is standing for the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party. He is widely credited with reshaping Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos but he faces a reinvigorated opposition, allegations of corruption, and health issues as he eyes one of Africa's most daunting jobs. However, he denies all allegations.

The second influential candidate is Atiku Abubakar, 76, running on behalf of the main opposition, the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Atiku Abubakar is contesting his luck for the sixth time having fallen short on five previous attempts, the first being in 1992. Most of his career has been in the corridors of power, having worked as a top civil servant, vice president under Olusegun Obasanjo and a prominent businessman. Just like Mr Tinubu, he has been accused of corruption and cronyism, which he again denies.

The third potential candidate is Peter Obi, 61, who is hoping to break up the two-party system which has dominated Nigeria since the end of military rule in 1999. He is running for the party known as Labour Party. Although he was in the PDP until last year, he is seen as a relatively fresh face and enjoys fervent support on social media and among Nigeria's youth. The wealthy businessman served as governor of the south-eastern Anambra State from 2006 to 2014.

 His affiliates, known as the "OBIdients" believes he is the only candidate with integrity, but his critics argue that a vote for Obi is wasted as he is unlikely to win.

The convention suggests a candidate from one of the two main parties will win - Mr Atiku or Mr Tinubu. However, backers for Mr Obi believe he can spring a surprise if they can mobilise the large youth vote to back him.

The winner will face a crippled economy infested by high levels of unemployment, corruption, a poor health system, fast depreciating foreign currency and high levels of insecurity due to civil wars. 

Equity Axis News