Some of the top political parties in Zimbabwe have boycotted parliamentary by-elections and have vowed to stay away from these polls until the electoral field is leveled.
They claim that the recent by-elections which featured Zanu PF and a few small parties like the National Constitutional Assembly, Transform Zimbabwe and others were a big farce as Zanu PF continues to manipulate the voters roll and other voting procedures.
Some critics have further said the by-elections are illegal since the country has not aligned electoral laws with the new constitution. At the same time, others say the 90-day period for conducting by-elections is not being followed as per the country’s constitution.
Some critics have further said the by-elections are illegal since the country has not aligned electoral laws with the new constitution. Others are also questioning the role of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and its ability to conduct these by-elections.
For perspective, reporter Tatenda Gumbo spoke with Zanu PF Central Committee member, Joseph Tshuma, and Tawanda Chimhini, director of the Election Resource Center.
Chimhini said the leveling of the electoral field in Zimbabwe starts with the alignment of laws with the constitution.