ZEC to roll out new voter registration

By Tichaona Sibanda

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was on Monday expected to roll out another voter registration exercise, a requirement under the new constitution that was signed into law last month. 

Over 200,000 first time voters were registered in the largely discredited exercise done between April and May this year. The Finance ministry recently released about US$12 million towards a fresh voter registration to cover the whole country.

The new programme is intended to cater for thousands of would be voters who failed to register during the initial registration programme.

Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme told us there was nothing to show that the exercise had resumed in the city.

He said like the last time there has been lack of publicity for the voter registration, leading to suspicions that there could be another plot to disenfranchise voters in the forthcoming poll.

Local civil society organisations concurred and observed that there was inadequate information, publicity and voter education and that the process excluded key stakeholders such as the church and civil society in the last exercise.

Where NGO’s and CSO’s sought to legitimately mobilize citizens to participate in the process they were met with heavy-handedness from the police. As a result potential voters were largely ignorant of the dates, centers and the requirements for registration.

After the adoption of the new constitution, ZEC is required by law to carry out a ward-based, transparent and accessible voter registration exercise targeting all communities.

After the voter registration exercise, there must be a period set for the inspection of the voters roll to make sure that it is correct and that all eligible voters are on it.

ZEC’s deputy Chairperson Joyce Kazembe told journalists last week that about five million potential voters were expected to participate in the harmonised elections.

She indicated the Registrar-General’s office will remain in charge of the voters’ roll until the holding of elections, after which ZEC would take over. SW Radio Africa