News / National
Chigumba wants political parties in Zimbabwe to be registered
26 Aug 2024 at 07:56hrs | Views
Justice Priscilla Chigumba, chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), has called for the registration of political parties to address the challenges encountered during the 2023 elections.
She stressed the importance of amending the Electoral Act, proposing that if the registration of political parties is not politically feasible, a limit should be set on the timeframe for candidates to appeal their candidature before elections.
This suggestion aims to prevent the disarray seen in last year's harmonised elections, where electoral courts were overwhelmed with cases almost until the day of the polls.
Justice Chigumba shared these insights during a joint induction workshop with the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Thematic Committee on Human Rights in Bulawayo.
She also detailed ZEC's functions and highlighted how numerous appeals delayed the printing and delivery of ballot papers during last year's elections, affecting the timely opening of polling stations.
"To resolve the chaos around the nomination process, I made two recommendations: register political parties or impose time limits on electoral court challenges. This means the electoral court would not accept any challenges 30 days before election day," she explained.
Justice Chigumba pointed out that Zimbabwe lacks legislation for registering political parties, leading to accountability issues. She noted that in other countries, political parties are registered like companies, making them more accountable, with the risk of deregistration.
In Zimbabwe, accountability for political parties and candidates only begins once they have successfully filed their nomination papers.
"There is no political will to register political parties. ZEC can only legally engage with political parties at the Nomination Court. The Nomination Court process often results in significant confusion, as this is the stage where candidates must comply with established procedures," Justice Chigumba concluded.
She stressed the importance of amending the Electoral Act, proposing that if the registration of political parties is not politically feasible, a limit should be set on the timeframe for candidates to appeal their candidature before elections.
This suggestion aims to prevent the disarray seen in last year's harmonised elections, where electoral courts were overwhelmed with cases almost until the day of the polls.
Justice Chigumba shared these insights during a joint induction workshop with the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Thematic Committee on Human Rights in Bulawayo.
She also detailed ZEC's functions and highlighted how numerous appeals delayed the printing and delivery of ballot papers during last year's elections, affecting the timely opening of polling stations.
"To resolve the chaos around the nomination process, I made two recommendations: register political parties or impose time limits on electoral court challenges. This means the electoral court would not accept any challenges 30 days before election day," she explained.
Justice Chigumba pointed out that Zimbabwe lacks legislation for registering political parties, leading to accountability issues. She noted that in other countries, political parties are registered like companies, making them more accountable, with the risk of deregistration.
In Zimbabwe, accountability for political parties and candidates only begins once they have successfully filed their nomination papers.
"There is no political will to register political parties. ZEC can only legally engage with political parties at the Nomination Court. The Nomination Court process often results in significant confusion, as this is the stage where candidates must comply with established procedures," Justice Chigumba concluded.
Source - The Herald
