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Joseph Madzimure-Senior Reporter

ZANU PF has set the guidelines for next weekend’s primary elections, which will select party representatives for the forthcoming polls. 

The primary elections are being held on the backdrop of the completion of a nationwide cell/village building and verification programme.

The guidelines state that an electoral college, that will consist of party members appearing in the registers of the recently established cell/village structures, will be set up while prospective candidates must have been members of the party for more than five years at district level with a clear and undisputed record.

Waivers will be considered on civil servants and Diasporans who are keen to represent the party in the harmonised elections.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, Zanu PF national Political Commissar Cde Mike Bimha who was accompanied by the party’ s Secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa said the primary elections will cover the Senate, National Assembly, Local Authority, Women League and the Youth League quota.

Aspiring candidates are expected to submit their CVs to the provincial administrator at the respective provincial headquarters by 6pm today. Tomorrow, the provincial elections directorate will meet to receive and consider the CVs.

Provinces should submit to the party headquarters all the CVs considered by provincial elections directorates with their comments and recommendations by 5pm on Monday March 13, 2023.

Cde Bimha said the Provincial Elections Directorate do not have the mandate to disqualify any aspiring candidates as this is the prerogative of the National Elections Directorate.  

The party has deployed Politburo members in various provinces to supervise the election process.

Bulawayo Cde Tshinga Dube; Harare Cde Charles Tavengwa; Manicaland Cde Patrick Chinamasa; Mashonaland Central Cde Kenneth Musanhi; Mashonaland East Cde Mike Bimha; Mashonaland West Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa; Masvingo Cde Lovemore Matuke; Matabeleland North-Cde Obert Mpofu; Matabeleland South Cde Richard Ndlovu and Midlands Province Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.

The Politburo members will also be assisted by commissioners who have also been deployed.

 The aspiring candidates will be vying for 210 constituencies, 1970 wards, 60 senatorial, 60 for women’s quota and 10 for Youth quota.

Aspiring candidates wishing to contest for senatorial elections should be registered voters, be at least 40 years old, while each and every province should come up with six candidates for the senate.

Of those candidates, three should be female and three male.

Cde Bimha said the six candidates shall be ranked on zebra system starting with the female candidates.

 He said members of the National Assembly will be selected based on the new constituency boundaries as guided by the recent constituency delimitation exercise. 

The number of constituencies however still remains at 210.

All party members in the party cell/village registers, Cde Bimha said are eligible to vote for the aspiring candidates.

Those vying for parliamentary seats, he said, must preferably have been a member of the province or have served a minimum of five years at party district level.

Turning to Local Authority, he said primary elections will take place within boundaries of each ward.

On Women’s Quota, he said there are 60 positions distributed as six per province. 

The electoral college will comprise all Women’s League District executive members and above.

On Youth Quota, there are 10 positions. Aspiring candidates for the youth quota election should be at the level of the District executive members and above.

Cde Bimha said the electoral college for the Youth Quota candidates comprises of all youth league district members and above.

The party, he said has put in place necessary instruments to ensure that the primary elections are held peacefully and in orderly manner .   

Earlier, Cde Mutsvangwa gave a detailed briefing on the outcome of the 367 Politburo session held on Thursday expressing confidence that the revolutionary party would win the harmonised elections.

He said the party is now reaching out to its membership to select those who shall be eligible to be candidates for the coming elections.

“Zanu PF is donning its running shoes for the coming harmonised elections,” he said.