The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) expresses concern over the scope of the proposed changes that are contained in the recently gazetted Electoral Amendment Bill. The gazetted Bill which seeks to amend the Electoral Act [Chapter2:13] proposes the removal of the driver’s license as proof of identity for electoral purposes; seeks to disqualify previously convicted persons from contesting in elections and provides a timeframe (21 days) when a candidate may withdraw from contesting in a National Assembly or local authority elections. The Bill also provides for the incorporation of the youth quota in the National Assembly and the women’s quota in local authorities which are both products of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Act, 2019.
ZESN believes that the Bill addresses nominal and administrative reforms whilst ignoring pertinent reforms that may have a direct bearing on the transparency and credibility of elections in Zimbabwe.
