Delimitation, census have implications on democracy
ON March 3, 2021, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) hosted a Zoom webinar platform on the relationship between delimitation and the population census.
Panellists defined delimitation as the division of the country into constituencies and wards for the purposes of elections.
It was noted that the preoccupation with delimitation in Zimbabwe is a result of the exercise not having been done in a long time.
The last delimitation was done in 2008 and many changes have occurred since then.
Delimitation is done in order to promote electoral representation and equality. The process involves mapping out polling areas, dividing them into constituencies and subsequently into wards.
Asked about Zanu PF expectations of the delimitation process, its representative noted that since delimitation had been placed under the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec)’s purview, the commission should carry out its mandate without undue interference.
An MDC Alliance representative said Zec should ensure that the process is transparent through the involvement of all stakeholders.
Zesn emphasised the importance of revisiting constituencies since the last delimitation was done 13 years ago.
There is currently an unacceptable variation in constituency sizes, with some having over 70 000 people and others being small with less than 15 000 people.
Other concerns raised in the webinar were that since this was the first time that Zec would be conducting the exercise, it was hoped that the commission would conduct its work independently and that the process would be consultative.
It was noted that in the past, the process did not involve relevant stakeholders and the legal framework did not call for the observation of the process, which raised fears of possible gerrymandering.
Political parties were urged to rally their supporters for delimitation so that many Zimbabweans participate in the process. It was noted that census data was critical for the delimitation exercise.
Zec was also urged to come up with a roadmap to the delimitation process and avail as quickly as possible and in languages that are sensitive to people with disabilities such as braille and sign language.
As a parting shot, the MDC Alliance representative noted the need for building trust and confidence in the delimitation process among Zimbabweans and ensuring that the process was carried out impartially after consultation.