45% WIN, 55% REJECT! COLTART QUESTIONS MPs ELECTING ZIMBABWE’S PRESIDENT
Leading Zimbabwean lawyer Doug Coltart has used a recent by-election result to question the principle of allowing MPs elected under the First-Past-the-Post system to choose the country’s President.
Coltart argues that the outcome exposes what he sees as a democratic contradiction: a candidate can win an individual constituency without securing the support of more than half of the voters.
In the example he highlights, the ZANU PF candidate reportedly secured 45% of the vote, while the remaining 55% was divided among independent candidates.
Coltart asks readers to imagine that same candidate becoming an MP and subsequently casting a parliamentary vote for President on behalf of the entire constituency—including the majority who voted against the winning candidate.
His argument has fuelled renewed debate over direct presidential elections, proportional representation and the principle of one person, one vote.
“Make it make sense,” Coltart argues.