Zanu PF postpones primary elections, citing ‘overwhelming response’

Zanu PF political commissar Mike Bimha has announced that ruling party primary elections slated for Saturday have been postponed indefinitely “due to the overwhelming response” of candidates who have applied to contest.

Bimha said the The Politburo, a 49-member body that formulates and decides policy for the party, will meet on Monday and decide on the next timetable.

The party was battling multiple processes such as cell verification, CV submissions and vetting of its members and it was decided that having elections on Saturday was impossible.

“Now the national elections directorate can now meet to look at all these processes and then make its recommendations. I do not have the final say in terms of who should stand and who should not make recommendations.

“Once they carry out that exercise, make their recommendations. These are then the recommendations that are then considered by the politburo and the politburo has the final say. Once they consider submissions and recommendations that means game on.

“We had anticipated that Saturday we would have elections but as I said because of the overwhelming response it was not possible to get to that target.

“The President has agreed that we meet as the politburo on Monday specifically to consider all the submissions. The primary elections will be held after the politburo,” said Bimha.

“In the past we used to say to our candidates please do not campaign before the approval but because candidates were saying look the date is Saturday we can not wait for the announcement.

“The politburo this time had to relook at some of the regulations to say look let us remove those aspects of clauses that tend to close out people. Let us remove so that we open up and all those who want let them come in and the people will decide whom they want,” he said.