Political Dialectics and the Role of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in Elections

Abstract

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was established in 2004 by an Act of Parliament to conduct all harmonized elections. Prior to its establishment, elections were managed by the Registrar-General of Elections, under the supervision of the Electoral Supervisory Commission (ESC). Since ZEC’s establishment in 2004, its main objective has been to oversee and conduct elections and referendums in compliance with laws of Zimbabwe. In essence, the main objective of this chapter was to investigate the dialectics of the role of ZEC in elections and how this important electoral institution is perceived in Zimbabwe’s political landscape. Using realism theory and social reconstruction theory, the researcher sought to assess the challenges faced by ZEC in elections and provide recommendations that if implemented will help to give credit to Zimbabwe elections. This study adopted a qualitative research design upon which data was gathered using interviews and secondary data analysis. Data was presented in the form of themes based on the research findings. The study found out that the Zimbabwe election period is associated with problems connected to vote rigging, delays and inconsistencies on the announcements of election results as well as the acceptability of the election results. The study concluded that ZEC has been constantly critiqued for not delivering free and fair elections and for being politically aligned. In adding, the President of Zimbabwe was accused for his conduct in appointing authority of the Chairperson and Commissioners of ZEC. The study recommends a solely Independent Electoral Commission with requisite digital skills to handle the 2023 Zimbabwe elections and beyond.