The Institute for Young Women’s Development (IYWD) has petitioned Parliament to reduce the gazetted candidate nomination, voters roll, and electoral maps fees, as well as to make sure that any fixed amounts are reasonable, gender, youth, and disability appropriate.
IYWD is based in Mashonaland Central and was founded in 2009 to strengthen young women’s and women’s voices to challenge injustice.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs gazetted the hike of nomination costs, access to voters roll, and electoral maps fees for election candidates on August 19, 2022, through a basket of legislative instruments, SI 144 and 145 of 2022.
Aspiring presidential candidates will pay US$20 000, a 1 900 percent rise from US$1 000, while Members of Parliament will pay US$1 000, a 1 900 percent increase from US$50.
Proportional Representation (PR) lists for Parliament and Provincial councils must pay US$100.
Presenting oral evidence before the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs last week, IYWD Coordinator, Merjury Mhlanga, said the hiking of such fees disproportionately disadvantages young women and women by increasing the cost of exercising their constitutional rights to participate in electoral and decision-making processes.
“Such a development retrogresses policy and practice progress made since the liberation struggle and grossly violates the SADC protocol on Gender and Development, SADC Principles and Guidelines governing Democratic Elections, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the African Charter on democracy, elections and governance to which Zimbabwe is a signatory to. Furthermore, the provisions of the SI are against your own constitution,” she said.
Mhlanga claims nomination costs are expensive and exclude women and people with disabilities (PWDs), a development that breaches Section 56 of Zimbabwe’s constitution, which enshrines the right to equality and non-discrimination, and undermines the 2030 objective of ‘leaving no one behind.’
“These astronomical fees hinder access to information rights and violate Section 62 of the constitution. They further widen the existing inequalities, can encourage corruption or yield captured leaders and further capitalism,” she said.
Kudakwashe Munemo of IYWD stated that in comparison to a sample of ten peer nations, Zimbabwe ranks first in terms of nomination fees required to run for president.
“It’s four times higher than that of Zambia, which is the second highest and is almost 10 times that of Kenya, which is the third highest, a position which shows the gazetted nomination fees for Zimbabwe are beyond average and unreasonable,” he said.
“Zimbabwe also now ranks highest in terms of nomination fees required for one to stand as a candidate for the position of constituency MP.”
Munemo argued Zimbabweans were already contributing to the financial wellbeing of the country through the different taxes levied by the government.
“We contend these should be utilised to significantly subsidise electoral processes,” he said.
Vongai Zimudzi, the youngest candidate in the 2018 election at 21 years old, concurred the nomination fees were discriminatory.
“We have not seen any significant changes in terms of livelihoods for young women and women. Any set amount must be affordable, gender, youth and disability sensitive,” she said, noting it would be difficult for a female MP candidate to raise the US$1 000 then raise a further amount to campaign.
“I was unemployed in 2018 and still not gainfully employed therefore I cannot afford these amounts. We implore you to share this adverse position on the hiking of the fees in the spirit of making sure there is justice in a way that allows young women and women to fully exercise and enjoy their constitutional rights.”
Regarding access to the voters roll and electoral maps fees, Mhlanga said as per SI 145 of the 2020 the cost of accessing an electronic copy of the polling area, national and hard copy voters roll has gone up by 900 percent from US$1, US$20 and US$0.10 per page to US$10, US$200 and US$1 per page respectively.
“For the ward and constituency voters roll the cost has jumped upwards by 650 percent and 450 percent from US$2 and US$410 to US$15 and US$50 respectively while accessing a provincial voters roll now requires a payment of US$150,” she said.
“Accessing a polling area, ward and constituency electoral maps hot upwards by 1900 percent, 1150 percent and 200 percent from US$1 to US$20, US$2 to US$25 and US$10 to US$30 respectively while the provincial and national maps now require US$60 and US$100 respectively.”
The petitioners’ prayer was thus for the SIs to be reversed and revert back to the previous figure used in 2018.
“ZEC and the responsible minister must in consultation with citizens effect a downward revision of the gazetted nomination and access to the voters roll and electoral maps fees while Parliament must make sure adequate funds are appropriated to ZEC in a way that totally removes prospective candidates pay a minimal affordable fee,” read the petition.
There also must be urgent alignment of all electoral laws to the country’s constitutions to include enactment of a Gender Equality Act to provide for equal representation in local government, Parliament and the presidium, in line with Section 17, 20, 56 and 80 of Zimbabwe’s constitution, said the petitioners.
