(Last Updated on February 22, 2023 by ZIMDAILY EDITOR)
Policy think tank, the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI) says the recently gazetted Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) final delimitation report can be understood as a Zanu PF scheme meant to maintain their two-thirds majority in Parliament.
President Mnangagwa on Monday gazetted the delimitation report paving way for the crucial harmonized elections later this year.
In its analysis of the delimitation report, ZDI said there was no justification to adopt the framework which it viewed as tilted in favor of the ruling party.
“ZEC deliberately applies 2007/8 total seats per province as its basis in coming up with the 2023 framework for allocating constituencies and sticks 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.
“ZEC disregarded adult population dynamics per province presented in the 2022 census when it allocated constituencies per province. If it was used, 7 seats were going to be transferred from ZANU PF stronghold provinces to the opposition stronghold provinces. ZEC disregarded registered voter proportions per province in the total national voter population in coming up with its constituency allocation framework. If they were used as basis for allocating constituencies per province, 3 constituencies were going to be transferred from ZANU PF stronghold provinces to opposition stronghold provinces. The ZEC delimitation report defeats this purpose,” said ZDI
The policy think tank said the delimitation violates constitutional demands of adhering to the census population dynamics.
“The ZEC delimitation secures ZANU PF’s two-thirds majority disguised as maintaining stability of previous electoral boundaries. It violates the constitutional demands for adherence to the census population dynamics and national values of equal representation in conducting boundary delimitation.
The framework used to allocate constituencies perprovince contradicts the constitution and its net outcome gives ZANU PF stronghold provinces over representation in Parliament whilst under representing opposition stronghold provinces.” said the think tank