On Thursday, 14 June, Zimbabwe’s election process enters the next stage: Nomination Court Day.

Now that voters have registered and verified their details, it’s time for individuals and parties to get into gear.

In terms of Zimbabwe’s current law, if individuals and parties are able to pay nomination court fees, candidates will have the right to campaign for a position in an elected office, of which the positions are many.

Zimbabweans will be voting for a President as well as constituency members of the House of Assembly, women’s quota representatives in the House of Assembly, proportional vote members of the Senate and local government councillors all at once, which is why the elections are called “Harmonised Elections”.

Between 10AM and 4PM on Nomination Court Day, hopeful candidates and parties intending to contest in the elections will submit their nomination papers.

What role can I play?

Any person registered on the Voters’ Roll is entitled to inspect the nomination papers filed before a nomination officer – this has been scheduled to happen on 15 June:

An appeal against the nomination of a party list candidate can be filed by any person registered on the Voters’ Roll of a constituency within the province in which the candidate was nominated. Such an appeal has to be filed in the Electoral Court within 48 hours after the sitting of the nomination court. The appeal must be determined within 48 hours of being lodged with the Electoral Court.The decision of the Electoral Court on such an appeal is final.

A candidate whose nomination has been rejected by the presiding officer may lodge an appeal within 4 days in the Electoral Court.

What does this mean for you?

As a registered voter, it is your responsibility to educate yourself on prospective parties and individuals so as to make an informed decision.

After the nomination process has been completed, the full party lists of candidates are printed and published in the Government Gazette and in the media. This has been scheduled for 25 June.

If you have any questions or suggestions, get in touch with Go Zim via Twitter or Facebook.

Remember, the more your know about Zimbabwe’s voting process, the more informed your vote will be! go Zim, get out and vote!