The two main protagonists in the August 23 general elections – President Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zanu PF) and Nelson Chamisa (CCC) – have filed their nomination papers in advance of tomorrow’s sitting of the nomination court after paying the US$20,000 fees, their parties confirmed
The Nomination Court will sit on Wednesday and political parties planning to field candidates in all wards and constituencies will need to fork out about US$230 800, or the equivalent in local currency (about $1,5 billion), after Parliament approved the new nomination fees last week.
The fees were gazetted under Statutory Instrument 144 of 2022.
The rules require Presidential candidates to pay US$20 000, while National Assembly aspirants for the 210 constituencies will have to part with US$1 000 each.
All is set for the Nomination Court sitting this Wednesday ahead of 23rd of August General Elections, with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) expressing readiness for the task.
The Nomination Court sitting this Wednesday across the country is meant to come up with successfully-nominated candidates to represent respective political parties in the forthcoming general elections.
Presidential candidates will file their papers at the High Court in Harare, while National Assembly candidates will use provincial courts, with councillors filing their papers at council offices.
Briefing journalists at the ZEC Headquarters in Harare, Chief Elections Officer Mr Utoile Silaigwana revealed that everything is ready for the nomination court sitting.
“ZEC has set 103 nomination centers and we are happy that we are set for these elections, voters roll is ready, research facility to check whether nominees are part of the voters,” he said.
Mr Silaigwana explained the difference between the Presidential and National Assembly Elections.
“For the Presidential elections, whoever is to be declared winner should garner more than 50%, whoever gets more votes than the other, but if you don’t get the threshold you cannot be declared winner. In the National Assembly the one with more votes becomes the winner,” he explained.
More than 6.5 million people are registered as voters for the impending election, with at least 12 000 polling stations set to be established.
According to the ZEC election calendar, Presidential results are expected to be announced on the 28th of August.
