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By Elvis Dumba
Chinhoyi – The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is yet to come up with a final delimitation report, Hon Ziyambi Ziyambi, ZANU (PF) Politburo’s Secretary for Science and Technology who is also Minister of Justice, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs has said.
He said the document presented to President Emmerson Mnangagwa was not the final delimitation copy and revealed that the commission is still working on it.
“What you saw being given to the President by the ZEC chairperson is not the final delimitation report but were submissions explaining how ZEC has taken issues of submissions from Parliament and those from the President over the delimitation that had been tabled before us,” Ziyambi revealed to ZANU PF Mashonaland West Provincial Coordinating Committee members in Chinhoyi.
“The law is clear in that ZEC must consult before the final report and they have consulted the President who is studying the documents if and how it captured submissions from Parliament and those submitted by President.
“After the President is satisfied, that’s when he gives ZEC the greenlight to finish the process and come out with the final delimitation report and it’s allowed by the law,” he said.
During the same meeting, ZANU (PF) Spokesperson Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is an independent body free from outside interference whilst the Ministry of Justice only supervises it.
“ZEC is a professional independent body that works without interference from anyone whilst Cde Ziyambi through the Ministry of Justice only supervises if constitutional requirements are being met,” he said
Opposition parties in the country have been complaining that ZANU (PF) is directing ZEC to favour the ruling party in the delimitation document by allocating more constituencies to its strongholds.
Maxwell Choruva, an independent candidate in the forthcoming elections, said there will be no free and fair elections in the country as long as ZEC remains “captured”.
“How can you say the President decides to allow the final delimitation report to be presented to him when he is an interested party in the election? Did the opposition and independent candidates get the document to share their input before the final one?” he said.
By the time of going to print, Justice Priscilla Chigumba, the ZEC Chairperson had not responded to questions sent to her.