Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) ‘s Dangamvura-Chikanga legislator, Prosper Mutseyami has urged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and Justice minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi to reconsider ‘exorbitant’ candidate nomination fees for next year’s harmonised elections.
According to Statutory Instrument (SI) 144 of 2022 gazetted last Friday, aspiring candidates for the presidency, parliament and local authority and the senate will pay US$20 000, US$1 000 and US$200 respectively.
The fees have been described by stakeholders as exorbitant and undemocratic.
National Constitutional Assembly leader, Professor Lovemore Madhuku has also said ZEC overstepped its mandate in gazetting the fees.
Raising a point of national importance in the National Assembly Tuesday, Mutseyami said the gazetted fees were exorbitant.
“I stand on a point of national importance for the attention of the august House and specifically for the attention of the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,” said Mutseyami.
“This is to do with the S.I. which has just been put across by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission regarding the fees for the nomination courts. My concern is on the level of the figures which have been put across whereby for the nomination of a presidential candidate, the fee has been set at US$20,000.00, a candidate standing for the National Assembly has to part with US$1,000.00 and a sitting Councillor, a Provincial Council Member has to part with US$100 and a Senator also has to pay US$100.”
He added: “My appeal is for ZEC to look into this matter urgently, bearing in mind that in this country we do not have access to the US dollars. The amount of money which has been put across is just too exorbitant. So I call upon ZEC to review the figures and for the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, in consultation with ZEC, to come up with a Ministerial Statement where he will explain to the House and justify the cause as well as giving room for Hon. Members to seek clarifications on behalf of the country.”
