Zanu-PF primaries explode tomorrow ZANU-PF has brought forward its primary elections to tomorrow to allow successful candidates to submit their names to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission by Wednesday. The party’s national chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo said the new date would enable the party to comply with a directive by ZEC to have party representatives in the July 31 harmonised elections lodge their names with the electoral body by Wednesday. “Given the position by ZEC that prospective parliamentary and council candidates are required to register their nomination at ZEC offices throughout the country on Wednesday 26 June 2013, Zanu-PF primary elections will now take place on Tuesday 25 June 2013,” Cde Khaya Moyo said. “The Provincial Election Directorates are hereby mandated to run the primary elections in their respective provinces in a free, fair and transparent manner. “The National Election Directorate expects the final list of candidates in all categories by 1000 hours on Wednesday 26 June 2013.” The revolutionary party had initially set primary elections for today, but deferred them to Wednesday to allow the party to review complaints raised by candidates who had been disqualified for failing to meet the set criteria. The Nomination Court is expected to sit this Friday to receive Presidential, parliamentary and council candidates for the harmonised elections. The sitting of the Nomination Court would be the last official process leading to the polls. Meanwhile, Zanu-PF Secretary for Security Cde Sydney Sekeramayi has called on party members to maintain peace and discipline in primary elections to be held across the country tomorrow. Cde Sekeramayi, who sailed through unopposed, said it was important that people behave in a manner that will not put the name of the party into disrepute. “In an exercise like this, it is not everyone who will make it. There will be voices of dejection and disappointment. However, judging by the manner the vetting of the candidates was done across the country last week, we do not expect any problems and the same discipline during the primaries should prevail,” he said. Cde Sekeramayi said there would be limited police presence at the various polling stations, making it important for party cadres to behave in a dignified manner. “We expect a modicum of police presence in the sense of their routine duties and not in the sense of trouble. Ideally on occasions like this there should not be police presence in the expectation of trouble. “What is therefore important is that there should be internal party discipline, every member of the party should act in a way that should not put the name of the party into disrepute or do anything that warrants the attention of the police,” he said. Zanu-PF carried out the nomination of its candidates last week without any incidents. The party will select 210 candidates for the National Assembly seats drawn from both male and female members and 60 other seats meant for the women quota. In terms of the new Constitution 60 women, six from each province will be elected to the National Assembly on a proportional representation basis based on votes cast for each party’s candidates in each province. Senators will be elected under a party-list system of proportional representation based on the votes cast for each party’s candidates in the provinces in the National Assembly elections. The party-list would be made up of both males and females listed alternatively but every list being headed by a woman. The provincial councils will comprise of senators, National Assembly members, two senator chiefs and 10 others elected by a system of proportional representation. - Herald
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 06:45:34 +0000