PARLIAMENTARY and council by-elections will take place across the country today amid hope that they will be peaceful, free, fair and credible.
The polls are a mini-general election and a dress-rehearsal of next year’s general elections.
They are litmus tests to see if the country’s nascent democracy is maturing. It is the quality of the by-elections that would give Zimbabweans, Africa and the international community a telescopic view of what would likely happen next year.
Though there were cases of violence during the countdown to today’s polls, the campaign period was largely peaceful with main political leaders — Zanu PF’s president Emmerson Mnangagwa, Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa and MDC head Douglas Mwonzora — advocating for peace before, during and after the by-elections.
It is everyone’s hope that their respective supporters would take heed of the calls and ensure a peaceful election where candidates with the best ideas to move their constituencies and wards forward emerge victorious.
The polls should be decided on issues of substance, not which political party one belongs to. Gone are the days of blind voting because of one’s political alignment.
We have seen over the years the election of legislators who have slept on duty.
Any elected MP or councillor must intermittently present performance reports containing progress made since their election. This should be measured against the campaign manifesto.
These reports will review progress made in meeting the people’s needs, aspirations and expectations.
The electorate must never tolerate MPs and councillors to be missing persons in the constituencies and wards.
It is the right of the electorate to demand for accountability from elected officials. Over the years we have seen MPs and councillors vanishing from their constituencies and wards once elected. Some have even not uttered a single word in Parliament or council chambers for the entire five-year term much to the detriment of the people they represent.
We have heard of MPs and councillors who last held meetings in their constituencies during campaigns when they were seeking for votes to go to the august House or council chambers.
There should be serious political consequences for a party that sponsors MPs and councillors who do not perform.
The electorate will punish the laggards at the ballot box and that is why it is necessary for political parties to field competent and dedicated candidates.
It is incumbent upon the electorate to vote peacefully and wisely.
