New By-Elections slated for 27 April

President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced dates for the upcoming by-elections which will be held on the 27th of April , 2024.

The seats being contested are for Harare East and Mt Pleasant constituencies which fell vacant when Norman Markham and Fadzayi Mahere resigned from parliament following Nelson Chamisa to his new endeavours.

Markham and Mahere resigned as well as Takudzwa Ngadziore who was a youth proportional representation Member of Parliament for Harare Province. No other Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) MP resigned after the three.

There were calls for David Coltart to resign as Mayor of Bulawayo but Coltart said the electorate are the ones who are supposed to decide whether he resigns or not because they are the ones who elected him to that position.

This by election comes as CCC is experiencing its worst nightmare since Nelson Chamisa is no longer a member of the party. The by election is the first test of CCC's popularity after the sudden departure of Nelson Chamisa.

Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) has been losing elections since the recalls by Sengezo Tshabangu. This has given ZANU PF the opportunity to have a two thirds majority in Parliament.

While Chamisa is playing his cards close to his chest he should avail candidates the new contest. The seats were won by his loyalists and he should retain them. It is uncertain whether Nelson Chamisa will form a new party or not, but the majority want him to form a new party. Hence, the blue movement is a creation coming from the masses who want to be represented by Nelson Chamisa.

The CCC party has not yet highlighted on its next move but it is bound to fail like the MDC as the majority of its supporters do not see CCC without Nelson Chamisa as he was the anchor of the party and without him the party is bound to fail.