The Election Resource Centre has given the Zimbabwe Election Commission seven days to release the electronic voters roll.
The delimitation process will make use of the voters’ list.
According to the constitution, delimitation is the redrawing of electoral boundaries.
In July this year, ZEC closed the voters roll to allow room for cleaning up the list in advance of the delimitation procedure.
To finish redrawing the lines in time for next year’s elections, the election management body is racing against the year’s end deadline.
ZEC’s unwillingness to offer ERC an electronic copy of the voter list was what prompted the latter to issue the ultimatum.
ERC suggests that ZEC refused to issue the electronic voters roll insisting that the it was,” enhancing security of the voters roll.”
According to tweets by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Lawyers (ZHLR), through Lawyer Dr Tatisai Mutangi, ERC has demanded ZEC to release the voters roll.
“The elections watchdog had written to ZEC soon after the closure of the inspection of the voters’ roll for the delimitation process in July requesting to be furnished with an electronic copy of national voters’ roll.
“But in response to the ERC’s request, ZEC on 20 October 2022 acceded to the elections watchdog’s request but only undertook to provide it with the national voters’ roll in hard copy format & provided a quotation of US$187 238 for its acquisition, ” read the tweet.
Resultantly, ERC solicited the services of Dr Mutangi who penned the letter of demand to ZEC.
Mutangi argues that once the hard copy of the voters roll is ready so should be the electronic copy.
Mutangi maintains that the withholding of the electronic voters roll by ZEC was irrational and potentially unconstitutional.
