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Cash for votes? Zimbabwean workers get salary raise ahead of election

Is there a relationship between the salary raise for Zimbabwe workers billed for implementation July 1, 2018 and the Zimbabwe general elections scheduled for July 30?

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Is there a relationship between the salary raise for Zimbabwe workers billed for implementation July 1, 2018 and the Zimbabwe general elections scheduled for July 30? This poser and many others are among issues being appraised by watchers of Zimbabwe politics.

The government of Mnangagwa has just offered the rest of its workers a salary raise, a week after it hiked salaries of members of the defence forces and police by 22.5 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

The minister of state for presidential affairs Simbarashe Mumbengegwi confirmed the 17.5 per cent salary hike in a statement.

The government also pledged to meet other demands by the workers, including cash-in-lieu of leave for teachers.

Mumbengegwi said the salary raise was in fulfilment of an agreement it reached with the workers early this year.

Read Also: Guber poll in Ekiti, S’west Nigeria, marred by vote buying (Video)

The Zimbabwean government also promised to provide additional non-monetary benefits to further improve the conditions of service of the workers.

The deepening of the democratic process in Africa remains a major challenge as a culture of manipulations, greed and and outright rigging is sustained. Y incumbents to hold on to power.

The July polls are the first since the forced departure of former strongman, Robert Mugabe.

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Politics

Zimbabwe’s electoral commission, ZEC promises to publicise voters’ register

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The electoral commission in Zimbabwe said it would soon publish the voters’ register for the forthcoming general elections.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) also assured the public of a fair election and promised to rectify anomalies that were observed during the voters’ inspection exercise.

The head of ZEC, Utloile Silaigwana made the position known when he announced the end of the mop-up voter registration exercise on Friday.

Silaigwana further revealed that the Nomination court would sit on 21 June and thereafter the voters’ roll would be accessible to candidates.

There are contentions about the neutrality of the electoral commission. In March, a member of the opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Allan Markham filed a court application challenging ZEC for access to the electronic voters’ roll but had his request rejected because “it was too risky” and in the interest of data protection.

Meanwhile, the ruling party, Zanu PF sent text messages to registered voters during the period urging them to vote for President Emmerson Mnangagwa. This move further fuelled the allegation that Zanu PF had access to the voters’ roll which is why it was able to send the messages.

President Mnangagwa is running for re-election to a second term after coming to power following a military coup that dislodged Robert Mugabe as Zimbabwe’s president in 2017.

The country is struggling with deep poverty, recurring power outages, and crippling unemployment, all of which have fuelled widespread resentment.

The President of Zimbabwe is elected using a two-round system. The Zimbabwean legislature is made up of 270 members of the National Assembly, 210 members elected in single-member constituencies, and 60 women elected by proportional representation in ten six-seat constituencies based on the country’s provinces.

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Politics

Guinea-Bissau holds parliamentary elections after year-long break

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Elections into the parliament of Guinea-Bissau have been held on Sunday after over a year since President Umaro Sissoco Embalo dissolved the House over accusations of corruption.

Over 20 political parties and coalitions, including the former ruling PAIGC party and its rival MADEM G15 presented candidates for various constituencies across the country.

The country’s parliament, known as the National People’s Assembly, is made up of 102 members who are chosen in two ways: 100 by closed-list proportional representation from 27 multi-member constituencies and two by single-member constituencies representing expatriate citizens in Africa and Europe.

The majority party or coalition appoints the government under the current political system, but the president has the authority to dismiss it in certain circumstances. In the past, this has led to political gridlock and infighting.

The Prime Minister, Nuno Gomes Nabiam, while commenting on the strength of diversity of the country and the likely inclusive parliament that could follow the elections, noted that “there will be no winner with an absolute majority in these elections. It is impossible.”

“No party is ready to govern Guinea-Bissau alone, ” Nabiam said.

Guinea Bissau’s path to stability has been difficult, as it has been for many other countries in the West African sub-region. Since its independence from Portugal in 1974, the country has seen coups or attempted coups despite elections.

In February 2022, gunmen stormed a government compound where President Embalo was holding a cabinet meeting, attempting to stage a coup. The incident was later linked by the presidency to the country’s thriving drug trade.

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