ELECTORAL ACT (as amended at 24th January 2008) ACT To provide for the Registrar General of Voters and constituency registrars; to make provision for the registration of voters and for the lodging of objections thereto; to provide for the preparation, compilation and maintenance of voters rolls; to provide for the functions of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission with respect to observers; to prescribe the residence qualifications of voters and the procedure for the nomination and election of candidates to and the filling in of vacancies in Parliament; to provide for elections to the office of the President; to provide for local authority elections; to provide for offences and penalties, and for the prevention of electoral malpractices in connection with elections; to establish the Electoral Court and provide for its functions; to make provision for the hearing and determination of election petitions; and to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing. ENACTED by the President and the Parliament of Zimbabwe. PART I PRELIMINARY 1 Short title and date of commencement (1) This Act may be cited as the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13]. (2) This Act shall come into operation on a date to be fixed by the President by statutory instrument [1st February, 20052]. 2 Application This Act shall apply to⎯ (a) the election of members of Parliament and elections to the office of President for the purposes of the Constitution; and (b) elections to the governing bodies of councils for the purposes of the Rural District Councils Act [Chapter 29:13] and the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15]. 3 General principles of democratic elections Subject to the Constitution and this Act, every election shall be conducted in way that is consistent with the following principles⎯ (a) the authority to govern derives from the will of the people demonstrated through elections that are conducted efficiently, freely, fairly, transparently and properly on the basis of universal and equal suffrage exercised through a secret ballot; and (b) every citizen has the right⎯ (i) to participate in government directly or through freely chosen representatives, and is entitled, without distinction on the ground of race, ethnicity, gender, language, political or religious belief, education, physical 2 Date fixed by Statutory Instrument 17/2005. -9-