Several presidential candidates in Zimbabwe fail to raise nomination fees

Several would-be candidates in Zimbabwe are set to sit out the presidential race in the upcoming elections after failing to raise the hefty nomination fees.

Candidates seeking to contest the August 23 presidential, parliamentary and local polls submitted their candidacy to electoral courts across the country on Wednesday. But the process hit a brick wall for several opposition political parties, forcing them to either withdraw or cut the number of seats they are contesting.

Presidential candidates have to pay US$20,000 (R367,103) — compared with $1,000 (R18,355) in the 2018 elections — to qualify to run in 2023. Aspiring MPs are required to pay $1,000, up from $50 in 2018.

An attempt to get the fees reduced failed when an urgent application by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights to review the nomination fees gazetted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was dismissed by the high court in Harare.

The opposition Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) said: “We will not deploy a presidential candidate this year owing to the participation fees charged by ZEC.

“While our members insisted we deploy our president, the leadership collective felt it was unwise to spend the little resources from our members' contributions on nomination fees for one candidate when that money could be spread between candidates.”

Labour, Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) president Linda Masarira told TimesLIVE the nomination fees are too steep, resulting in only the rich and elite being able to contest the election for president.

“The $20,000 is outrageous and exorbitant, beyond the reach of the ordinary Zimbabwean and it is creating an atmosphere of preserving the public office for the rich and elite.

“What we are seeing a system that is elbowing out women from active politics. Most women are not financially independent in Zimbabwe, we have to work extra hard to raise the funds. In 2018 we had four women presidential candidates and maybe in this election we will only have two women running. It has been hectic and difficult to raise the $20,000 and I am still short of raising the full amount,” said Masarira.

Addressing journalists, Zimbabwe’s justice minister and President Emmerson Mnangagwa's chief election agent Ziyambi Ziyambi said if presidential candidates can’t raise the nomination fees they shouldn’t be running for the presidency.

“I think the fees are extremely reasonable, if you want to be given custody of the affairs of a country and you complain that $20,000 is prohibitive, you, the electorate, must be scared of voting for somebody like that. Candidates want to be entrusted with a lot but you do not want to show that you can part with $20,000, I do not think they are serious contenders for the job,” Ziyambi said.

Mnangagwa and his main opposition party challenger, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa, have filed their papers. 

TimesLIVE