Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Announces By-Elections Date

Leticia Kazembe and Rita Makarau of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission briefing reporters on the national elections on August 1, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

ZEC announces by-elections date

September 3, 2013 Top Stories
Herald Reporter

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission yesterday said nomination courts for local authority by-elections in Gokwe South, Pfura and Victoria Falls will sit on September 17, while the election date has been set for October 19.Council posts in Gokwe South RDC ward 11 and Victoria Falls Ward 9 fell vacant following the death of the councillors who were elected in the harmonised elections on July 31, while in Pfura in Mt Darwin ward 32 no nominations were received on June 28 for the harmonised elections.

ZEC chief elections officer Mr Lovemore Sekeramayi said in a statement that the holding of the by-election was in terms of section 121A of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13).

“The nomination courts for purposes of receiving nomination of candidates for elections as councillors for the aforementioned local authorities shall sit on Tuesday, 17th September commencing at 10 O’clock in the morning,” he said.

In Gokwe South, the nomination venue will be at Gokwe Centre at the chief executive officer’s office, in Pfura, the court will sit at Dotito at the RDC CEO’s offices and in Victoria Falls it will be at the Town Clerk’s office in Livingstone Way.

“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission fixes Saturday, 19th October, 2013 as the day on which a poll shall be taken if it becomes necessary in terms of Section 125 of the Election Act (Chapter 2:13) in the said local authorities,” said Mr Sekeramayi.

Meanwhile, ZEC has invited applications for accreditation to observe run-off elections for Kadoma municipality ward 4, Kusile RDC ward 5 and Mutasa RDC ward 30 set for next Wednesday.

“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission hereby invites applications for accreditation to observe electoral processes related to the 2013 local authority run-off elections in respect of Kadoma Municiplaity ward 4, Kusile RDC ward 5 and Mutasa RDC ward 30, to be held on 11th September 2013,” Mr Sekeramayi said.

He said local observers and journalists should direct their applications through the respective ZEC provincial elections offices of the province in which they propose to discharge their duties.

Foreign observers and media must direct their applications directly to the chief elections officer at the Zec headquarters in Harare.

“All applications local and foreign must be received no later than the fourth day before the day of the polling, 11 September 2013,” Mr Sekeramayi said.

He said accreditation fees for local observers is US$10, US$20 for observers from Africa, US$50 for those from foreign embassies in Zimbabwe and US$100 for observers from outside Africa.

Local media practitioners accredited with the Zimbabwe Media Commission are required to pay US$10, while those accredited with the ZMC and working in Zimbabwe for foreign media houses would part with US$50.