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Herald Reporter

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa will proclaim the dates for by-elections for the National Assembly and local authorities to fill vacancies left following the expulsion and death of some members, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has said.

There are 28 National Assembly and 105 local authority vacancies across the country.

The Government had suspended the holding of by-elections as part of a set of measures to curtail the spread of the highly contagious Covid-19 disease.

However, ZEC, the constitutional body mandated with running elections in the country, has come up with a roadmap towards the holding of the elections.

According to the draft electoral road map, ZEC has set April 23, 2022 as the proposed date for elections.

“The commission works with provisional dates as the actual dates can only be proclaimed by the President,” ZEC said in a statement.

Some media organisations had reported that the country will be going to polls based on the ZEC roadmap.

However, the by-elections, the commission said, could be proclaimed earlier or later than the set provisional dates.

“The provisional dates are merely for planning and procurement of election material. The nation should be guided accordingly,” reads the draft electoral road map.

Ahead of next year’s delimitation process, ZEC has set aside more than 900 voter registration units.

The delimitation process, which will see the country divided into constituencies and wards for the purpose of elections legislators and councillors respectively is part of the electoral cycle and is carried out periodically in terms of section 160 and 161 of the Constitution.

“ZEC periodically assesses its state of preparedness for all constitutionally mandated electoral processes.

“The Commission is guided by the laws of Zimbabwe not by discussions with any stakeholders. The law can be changed in Parliament by those who are unhappy with its application,’’ said ZEC.

Parliament has expelled more than 20 MPs from both MDC-T and Zanu PF after their parties wrote to the House saying they were no longer representing them.

The recall of the MPs is a culmination of 21 MPs belonging to the opposition MDC-T party, recalled to date following a leadership wrangle.

The recalling of MDC-T MPs followed a Supreme Court ruling conferring legitimacy to Douglas Mwonzora as the leader of the party.

Zanu PF recalled Chivi South MP Cde Killer Zivhu, while at least 21 from both the National Assembly and Senate were ejected by the MDC-T.