Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared that 28 parliamentary by-elections postponed in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic will now be held on 26 March.
The state electoral body said that local government by-elections would
also be held on the same day as numerous seats have become vacant.
Most had belonged to the main opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) party, led by Nelson Chamisa.
But dozens of his allies have been expelled from parliament, and more
than 100 MDC councillors were recalled in 2020 after the Supreme
Court declared that Chamisa was not the party’s legitimate leader
following a legal wrangle with a splinter group.
These by-elections are seen as an early test for general elections
scheduled for mid-2023.
Previous national elections have been marred by allegations of violence
and electoral fraud.
Critics had accused the government of using the Covid pandemic to
thwart democracy.
