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Cabinet discusses, adopts electoral laws amendments

by Staff Reporter
11 Jun 2013 at 17:23hrs | Views
Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa says cabinet has discussed and adopted the amendments made to the country's electoral laws to align them to the country's new constitution adopted on the 22nd of last month.

The amendments were made by the forum of negotiators for the parties in the inclusive government following the enactment of the new constitution.

The amendments related to the indirect party list election of 60 senators, 60 women members of the national assembly and 80 members of the non-metropolitan provincial councils.

They also clarify the process of transmitting results from polling stations to the national command centre to ensure that duplicate copies of the polling station returns gathered from every polling station within a ward are also transmitted directly to the national command centre at the same time as they are transmitted to the appropriate ward centres.

The amendments are also meant to institute a procedure for the advance submission by political parties to the electoral commission before the actual nomination process.

The amendments have also reduced the number of nominators for candidates competing in the national assembly elections from 10 to 5.

They also provide for the election of two senators to represent persons with disabilities through an electoral college.

The amendments have also increased the number of elections agents who are allowed to be at polling stations from 2 to 3.

Chinamasa explained that foreign observers will be accredited by ZEC at national level while local observers will be accredited at provincial level.

Source - zbc