Mnangagwa sets August 23 for polls, as election season officially starts

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has proclaimed that Zimbabwe will hold harmonised general elections on August 23, 2023.

This officially means that the election season has started.

According to Statutory Instrument 85 of 2023, the nomination day, when candidates are registered to stand in the election, will be on June 21.

The election to the office of President and Members of Parliament will be held on the 23rd of August.

“…fix the 23rd day of August, 2023, as the day of the election to the office of President, the election of members of the National Assembly and election of councillors, that is to say, as the day on which a poll shall be taken if a poll becomes necessary in terms of section 46(17)(c) or 125(4)(b) of the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13] for the election to the office of President or any such members of the National Assembly or councillors…,” read the notice.

In the event that the election spills into a runoff, Mnangagwa has set the 2nd of October for that.

“… (e) fix the 2nd day of October, 2023, as the day of the runoff election to the office of President, that is to say as the day on which a poll shall be taken if such a poll becomes necessary in terms of section 38(1)(a)(iii) of the Electoral Act,” further read the notice.

The President has also set the 3rd August 2023 as the day in which Provincial Assemblies of Chiefs shall meet to elect members of the Chiefs Council for the purposes of Section 120(1)(b) and (c) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, as read with Section 38(3) of the Electoral Act Ch 2:13 and Section 35 of the Traditional Leaders Act Chapter 29:17.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) opened the voters’ roll for inspection at the weekend. But the process was described as shambolic by several opposition officials after their names failed to appear in the registers.

The proclamation of the election dates officially allows political parties to hold rallies selling their manifestos.