President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to proclaim the election date in due course, a senior Government official has said.
Speaking to The Herald last night, Presidential spokesperson George Charamba was noncommittal about to exactly when Mnangagwa will proclaim the election date. Charamba said:
The election proclamation is going to be announced in due course. That is all I can say at the moment.
On Saturday, Mnangagwa was quoted by State media as saying he will announce the date for the General Elections on Monday.
The Chronicle initially reported that Mnangagwa would proclaim the election date on Sunday, but later reported that the proclamation will be done on Monday.
Speaking in Binga on Saturday at the official commissioning of classroom blocks at Mabobolo Secondary School under Chief Pashu, Mnangagwa said:
I will be announcing the election date the day after tomorrow (Monday).
When elections are conducted every person in Binga should safeguard our heritage by voting.
If we do not vote properly people without Zimbabwe at heart will take over. We must protect it and preserve our heritage.
Speaking during a recent interview with NewZimbabwe.com, Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa said it is unacceptable that Mnangagwa is the only one who knows the date. Said Chamisa:
It is unfair for one player to also be a referee, a match commissioner and to be the regulatory authority.
It is wrong especially when everyone is put in suspense thereby making planning almost impossible.
National affairs and people’s lives cannot be run on an ad hoc basis upon guesswork and conjecture.
All stakeholders have to plan ahead of time. Right now Kenyan citizens know the exact date when the elections due in 2027 are going to be held.
That is good governance. Not this unilateralism where a date is used as an unfair advantage over competitors.
Others may not be able to fully plan. A date cannot be determined by one person. The fate of a nation can’t fit in one’s pocket.
Mr. Mnangagwa is saying he is the only one who knows the date. This is unacceptable.
Last month Mnangagwa revealed that he will announce the election date towards the end of May.
Section 38 of the Electoral Act empowers the President to proclaim the date for harmonised elections after consultation with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
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