MDC submits proportional rep list to Zec

via MDC submits proportional rep list to Zec – DailyNews Live 24 April 2015 by Mugove Tafirenyika

HARARE – Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC has submitted to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) names of seven proportional representative candidates set to fill vacancies in Parliament following the recall of rebel MPs who defected to the renewal team.

The party this week submitted a list featuring only one standing committee member — Theresa Makone.

The other nominees for the proportional representation seats are Anna Chimanikire, Susan Machuma, David Chimhini, Farai Mabugu and Bhekitemba Sibanda.

Obert Gutu, the MDC spokesperson, confirmed that the party had finalised the list and submitted it to the electoral body.

He said the names would be made public by Zec after “it finalises other processes.”

“We had written to Zec on April 16 enquiring about the deadline for submitting the names and acting on that we duly gave them the list.

“We are only waiting for them to consider them and do other processes including gazetting the names.”

The seven are set to replace some of the 21 MPs expelled for defecting to the MDC renewal team.

By-elections for the other seats have since been pencilled for June 10. But Tsvangirai’s party is boycotting the elections citing reluctance by President Robert Mugabe’s administration to institute electoral reforms.

The MDC has persistently complained that the electoral playing field was heavily tilted in favour of Mugabe’s ruling Zanu PF party.

The country’s largest opposition party particularly singles out Zec for criticism alleging that its secretariat is made up of mainly State security agents sympathetic to Zanu PF.

Last week, the MDC’s supporters in Harare marched to the electoral body’s offices to petition Zec to urgently come up with a new electronic voters’ roll.

Zec officials have however, said they did not receive the petition.

“What we received was a letter dated 16 April 2015, addressed to the chief elections officer inquiring about the deadline of the submission of names of qualified candidates to fill the seven vacancies that have occurred among the party list members of the Senate and National Assembly following recall by the MDC-T of some members of Parliament elected on its ticket but ceased to be members of the party,” said Zec spokesperson Justin Manyau.

“The letter also sought clarification on whether the Nomination Courts that sat on April 16 were related to the deadline for the submission of candidates for parliamentary vacancies which we have since responded to.”