Mt Pleasant voters to snub by-elections in solidarity with Fadzayi Mahere

HARARE – A pre-election survey conducted by the Election Resource Centre (ERC) in Mount Pleasant ahead of the by-election on Saturday has established that among other reasons, 21.2% of those not voting are doing so in solidarity with their former MP Fadzayi Mahere who resigned.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) will on Saturday conduct two National Assembly by-elections for the Mount Pleasant and Harare East constituencies; the seats were previously held by former opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members, Mahere and Allen Markham.

The public opinion survey was carried out in Mt Pleasant to understand voter experiences related to the upcoming by-election on April 27, 2024.

The survey focused on three broad issue areas, including understanding voter trends and behaviours before and after polling while accounting for the effects of the 2023 harmonised elections and subsequent electoral processes, voter knowledge and understanding of electoral processes, and the impact of changes in the electoral environment on that understanding and voter attitudes toward their own experiences with elections.

ERC established that 22.8% of those surveyed were unaware that a by-election was scheduled for April 27, 2024.

The report further states that: “21.2% of registered voters who indicated they were not voting in the by-election are refraining from doing so due to their support of former Member of Parliament Fadzayi Mahere, who resigned, giving rise to the by-election.

“Social welfare issues, including welfare, healthcare, education, justice, and crime, trump economic issues, including currency, inflation, and salaries, as key issues that influence a voter’s decision when casting a ballot.”

The survey noted that 40.9% of registered voters were still unsure about who they are voting for in the upcoming by-election.

Findings further reveal that the majority of voters who intend to vote in the by-election already know who they are going to vote for (59.1%) without indicating who they will be specifically voting for.

It states that 40.9% of voters revealed they have not yet made their voting intention, with 19.8% revealing they were undecided, while the remaining 19.8% responded no.

In Harare East, Mutimbanyoka Kiven is representing Zanu-PF. He will battle it against Cheza Ropafadzo Cynthia, an independent candidate.

In Mt Pleasant, Mashavave George of Zanu-PF is being challenged by two independent candidates, Mamuse Nason and Ticky Brian.

Mahere and Markham resigned from Parliament in solidarity with former CCC leader Nelson Chamisa who dumped the party citing rigging of the 2023 harmonised general elections and infiltration of the party by rival Zanu-PF and state security agents.