President Emmerson Mnangagwa has re-appointed Priscilla Chigumba as chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) despite presiding over chaotic elections last year that were condemned by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Chief Secretary to the President, Martin Rushwaya in a letter to Chigumba announced her reappointment effective February 1 2024.
“I am pleased to advise that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde. E.D. Mnangagwa has, in terms of Section 238(5) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe (No. 20) Act 2013 re- appointed you as the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for a period of six years with effect from 1 February 2024,” he said.
Chigumba now has the ignominious record of having presided over two disputed elections, the first in 2018 that needed the Constitutional Court to confirm Mnangagwa’s win over opposition leader Nelson Chamisa and the 2023 General Elections described as a sham by SADC observers.
She was first appointed ZEC chairperson in January 2018 succeeding Justice Rita Makarau who was put in place by the late President Robert Mugabe.
Chigumba has a Bachelor of Law degree from King’s College, London in the United Kingdom.