The ruling party, Zanu PF is set to conduct fresh primary elections in various wards countrywide where first rounds failed to produce absolute winners.

In wards where they will be re-runs, uncontested winning candidates have pending court cases, boundary disputes or polls were never held.

In a letter dated April 25, 2023, Zanu PF national commissar, Mike Bimha said his department received and scrutinised results from all provinces and noted cases warranting re-runs.

"The commissariat department acknowledges receipt of local authority primary election results conducted by all provinces between 25 and 26 March 2023.

"The department has carried out an analysis of the results and is satisfied that the election process went on well in most of the wards," wrote Bimha.

"The department is, however, alive to challenges encountered during the electoral process.

"In some cases there was no absolute winner due to equal votes by candidates while in other cases, uncontested winners have pending court cases and hence the department in such cases recommends re-runs.

"In other cases, the elections were not held for various reasons such as change of boundaries emanating from the delimitation exercise and hence elections should be conducted," he said.

Bimha instructed all provinces to prepare for primaries provisionally slated for May 6.

"Provinces will be furnished with information pertaining to wards where primary elections or primary elections re-runs should be conducted in due course," the national commissar added.

The recently held Zanu PF primaries were fraught with irregularities such as violence, intimidation, bussing of voters to cast ballots in wards they don't belong and use of an unverified voters' roll.