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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
President Mnangagwa has proclaimed July 30 as the date for harmonised elections to choose the President, National Assembly members and councillors.

The date is contained in Statutory Instrument 83 of 2018 published in an Extraordinary Government Gazette yesterday.

The President also fixed September 8, 2018 as the date for the Presidential election run-off if it is necessary.

The President made the Proclamation in terms of Section 144 (1) that empowers him to fix dates for the election.

“Now, therefore, under and by virtue of the powers vested in the President, as aforesaid, I do, by this proclamation fix Monday, 30th day of July, 2018, as the day of the election to the Office of President, the elections of members of the National Assembly and election of councillors, that is to say, as the day on which poll shall be taken if a poll becomes necessary in terms of Section 46(17)(c) or 125 (4)(b) of the Electoral Act for the election of the Office of President or any such members of the National Assembly or councillors; and fix Saturday the 8th day of September, 2018, as the day of the runoff election to the Office of President, that is to say as the day on which a poll shall be taken if such a poll becomes necessary in terms of Section 110(3)(1)(iii) of the Electoral Act,” President Mnangagwa said in the Proclamation.

He also said the Nomination Court shall sit on June 14 starting at 10 o’clock in the morning at Mapondera Building, Court A in Harare to receive nomination for the presidential election candidates.

The President said boundaries for provinces, constituencies and wards used in the 2013 harmonised elections would be used in the elections. For the 210 National Assembly elections, the nomination courts will also sit on the same day at various centres across the country’s 10 provinces.

In Bulawayo the nomination court will sit at Magistrates’ Court, Court 5, Tredgold, in Harare the court will sit at Magistrates’ Court, Rotten Row, in Manicaland the court will sit at Magistrates’ Court, Main Street, Mutare in Mashonaland Central, Magistrates’ Court, Main Street, Bindura, Mashonaland East, the nomination court will sit at Magistrates’ Court, Ruzawi Road, Marondera and in Mashonaland West the court will sit at Magistrates’ Court, Garrard Drive Chinhoyi.

For Masvingo province, the nomination court will sit at Magistrates Court in Masvingo, for Matebeleland North the court will sit at the Magistrates’ Court at Western Commonage while Matebeleland South the court will sit at Magistrates Court in Gwanda and in Midlands it will sit at the Magistrates Court in Gweru.

The nomination courts will also sit at various rural and urban council offices across the country on June 14 beginning at 10 am.

The nomination courts for party-list candidates to the Senate, National Assembly and provincial Councils will also sit at the venues and times as for the 210 National Assembly candidates.

President Mnangagwa also fixed July 11, as the day provincial assemblies of chiefs will gather at various centres across 8 provinces excluding Harare and Bulawayo, to elect members of the Council of Chiefs.

With the exception of Manicaland, which will elect five chiefs, all the other provinces will elect four chiefs each.

The elected chiefs will then meet on July, 18 at Mukwati Building in Harare to elect the President of the Council of Chiefs and the Deputy President who shall be ex officio Senators.

On August 1, the eight provincial assemblies of chiefs will convene again to elect two chiefs each to be Senators representing the particular province.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission gazetted the new voters’ roll produced following the biometric voter registration exercise.

ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba made the announcement under General Notice 370B of 2018 in the Extraordinary Gazette published on Monday.

“It is hereby notified, in terms of Section 36A (2) of the Electoral Act that ZEC has fixed the date of publication of this notice (May 29) on which the voters’ roll produced as a result of the conduct of the new registration ordered by the President under Proclamation 109 of 2017, shall be the definitive voters’ roll on the basis of which the continuous registration of voters in terms of section 17A shall be conducted,” Justice Chigumba said.