Zimbabwe’s parliament is set to convene for an emergency session on Friday to discuss a report on proposed constituency and ward boundaries to be used in the country’s general elections set for July this year.In a statement on Tuesday, parliament said President Emmerson Mnangagwa had called for an extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly and Senate on January 6 “to conduct special business relating to the preliminary delimitation report” that he received from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission last week. 

“Due to accommodation challenges still being experienced in Harare, members are advised to attend the sitting virtually… A few members who will attend physically will be advised by the chief whips,” the statement said.

Parliament adjourned in the third week of December, with the National Assembly initially supposed to reconvene on January 24 while Senate was set to resume sitting on January 31.

The delimitation report was handed over to Mnangagwa by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Priscilla Chigumba on 26 December 2022. 

According to the constitution, Mnangagwa has seven working days to study the report before submitting it to parliament for input.

Parliament would have 14 days to study the report and submit comments.

The final delimitation report would be used to demarcate new boundaries for Zimbabwe’s 210 parliamentary constituencies and thousands of council wards ahead of general elections scheduled for July.

ZEC has previously come under fire from the opposition for working with the ruling ZANU PF to ensure there are fewer constituencies in opposition strongholds such as urban areas.