Can Chamisa Win Elections Without The Voters Roll?

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) president Nelson Chamisa is certain of victory ahead of the 2023 election and has encouraged Zimbabweans to prepare for celebrations even though his party has not yet accessed the voters roll.

Speaking to journalists at a press conference held in Harare, Chamisa said despite the uneven playing field his party had strategies ready to counter any shenanigans from Zanu-PF.

“This is a victory year, it is an election year in 2023 .

“The vote is a special one because it is a liberation vote, freedom vote and indeed a restoration vote.

“I know that we have challenges and the odds are against us, but I can tell you this, when I say God is in it, I am not saying it as slogan, it is a statement of knowledge, of conviction and of course, of the truth that I know about what is obtaining.

‘Yes, the facts maybe against us, but we are on the course to victory and we are on the course to celebrating as the people of Zimbabwe,’ he said

Chamisa made the utterances a day after high court judge Never Katiyo dismissed an application by Harare North law maker Norman Markham demanding the release of the electronic voters roll.

The legislator filed the High Court application after failing to get a favourable response from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

Since 2000 the opposition has contested Zanu-PF victory citing manipulation and inaccessibility of the voters roll among other issues.

The Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) led by the late Morgan Tsvangirai approached the courts 21 years ago in a bid to compel the registrar general, who was responsible for compiling the voters roll then to release a computerized version.

Tsvangirai’s case was dismissed.

Today,  the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is offering the hard copy version of the voter rolls which costs about US$187000 and according to stakeholders is difficult to search.

In preparation of the 2023 elections Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) conducted the delimitation exercise and President Emmerson Mnangagwa has since gazetted the report with the new electoral boundaries but the voters roll used for the exercise remains unavailable to stakeholders.