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Farirai Machivenyika Mr Speaker Sir
The election season is upon us and as we speak there is a lot happening across the country in boardrooms and corridors, if there are any, of the over 108 political parties that have registered with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

Mr Speaker Sir, while the proliferation of political parties has become the norm on the eve of our country’s elections, it can also be a sign of the freedoms of expression and assembly that we enjoy as a country.
It is therefore up to the electorate to choose whom so ever they believe in.

While there are many political parties now, the contest is, however, expected to be mainly between Zanu-PF and the MDC Alliance while the MDC-T led by Ms Thokozani Khupe, and Joice Mujuru’s led People’s Rainbow Coalition are likely to be spoilers than contenders.

The ruling party, Zanu-PF, Mr Speaker Sir, is scheduled to hold its primary elections this coming weekend as the party continues its preparations for the elections.

There has been a mixed bag of aspiring candidates from young candidates stepping up to the main political arena, with diasporans coming back to take part in the watershed elections expected to shape the country’s destiny following Operation Restore Legacy.

There are also some who have failed to make it for the primaries after being accused of dabbling in G-40 politics while others have been accused of having criminal records behind them.
All this makes the ruling party primary elections something to look forward to come Sunday.
It is our sincere hope that the primary elections will be held in a peaceful environment as they undoubtedly are the main curtain raisers before the main national elections.

Mr Speaker Sir, an interesting suggestion was made the other day by the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Parliamentary and Legal Affairs that maybe ZEC should be empowered to run political parties’ primary elections to enhance transparency.

This is something that parties can debate on in light of allegations of voter manipulation and other underhand dealings that we have heard in many political parties as people jostle for the right to represent their parties in national elections.
Mr Speaker Sir, it is also important that voters be wary of the kind of people aspiring to represent them in Parliament.
As has been stated before, we have a whole lot of prospective candidates, some of whom are speculating on what they may gain once in Parliament.

The current Parliament, whose term is about to end, has a lot of people who have never uttered a word since they got elected in 2013 and one wonders whether they are also not ‘Missing Persons’ in their constituencies.

This calls for the electorate to conduct due diligence on those wanting to represent them to ensure that they are not merely fortune seekers aiming to hit the jackpot in Parliament, but are people with proper and viable ideas to carry the country forward.

Still on the subject of elections, Mr Speaker Sir, we have already heard MDC-T’s Nelson Chamisa promising the electorate to take them to the moon and back, including such things as bullet trains, village airports and so on.

We hope the electorate will not be naïve to follow such hot air as it is an indication that they are not being taken seriously.
While the ruling party is busy with internal processes, the MDC factions are still on each other’s throats, providing an exciting sideshow to the already interesting election season.

Justice Francis Bere ruled as not urgent an application by the Mr Chamisa-led faction in their on-going fight over the ownership of the party name and symbols.

This means the drama still continues and brings to the fore the likelihood of two MDC-Ts in the elections unless they reach an agreement through arbitration.

Dr Khupe has also threatened to expel pro-Chamisa legislators in Parliament, whetting our appetites for more drama in the coming weeks.

Mr Speaker Sir, after all has been said we hope the parties will carry out their internal processes in a peaceful manner to ensure the harmonised elections have a perfect platform to be held on.

On another issue Mr Speaker Sir, the president of the Zimbabwe Chief’s Council Senator Chief Fortune Charumbira has thrown his hat into the ring to contest for the presidency of the Pan African Parliament to be held in South Africa next month.

Mr Speaker Sir, it is commendable that President Mnangagwa and Government have already pledged their support for Chief Charumbira’s bid for the PAP top post and it is also incumbent on us in our different stations to amplify his campaign.
The Pan African Parliament, Mr Speaker Sir, was established as part of efforts to speed up regional integration, but sadly this has not happened at the speed that the continent expected. This has been attributed to a number of things including poor management of resources and sour relations with the mother body, the African Union.

Speaking at the official launch of his election campaign, Chief Charumbira pledged to reinvigorate PAP to make it relevant to current continental needs and also a platform to promulgate model laws that AU member States can adopt.
It is our hope that he will be given the opportunity to lead the organisation that has so far been in the news only when it holds its annual sessions only. Mr Speaker Sir, we also hope that all our embassies across the continent are lobbying for the success of his candidature when the elections are held in May.