#ElectionsZW: ZEC cheated potential voters when it postponed BVR blitz

#ElectionsZW: ZEC cheated potential voters when it postponed BVR blitz

Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) says if the voter registration blitz had not been postponed in December last year, many potential voters could have been afforded an opportunity to vote in the by-elections.

The country is set to hold by-elections on the 26^th of March to fill gaps that were left vacant in the National Assembly and in some local authorities, following the recalling of the officeholders and death.

There are as many as 28 National Assembly seats that are vacant and over 118 local authority seats up for grabs.

However, people who registered to vote after two days from the date of the proclamation will not vote in the by-elections for legislators.

Those who registered after the local authority seats were declared vacant, will also not vote for in the council by-elections.

However, ZESN in its Constituencies Profile Report for the 28 National Assembly by-elections seats, said most potential voters were not aware of these provisions.

The election watchdog also added that postponement of the voter registration means that potential voters for the by-elections were disadvantaged.

‘’ZEC chairperson Justice Chigumba told the media on the 13^th of January in a briefing that for National Assembly by-elections, the voter’s rolls closed two days after the proclamation of the date of the by-elections by the President which in accordance with Section 26A of the Electoral Act and that of local authority by-elections, the voters’ rolls for wards closed when the vacancies occurred, as provided in Section121A (30 of the Electoral Act.

‘’There is a possibility that many potential voters and stakeholders were not aware of the aforementioned provisions. ZEC postponed the BVR blitz, initially scheduled for December 2021, to February 2022. ‘’Had it not been postponed the BVR blitz could have afforded those not registered to register during the blitz and vote in the 2022 National Assembly by-elections,’’ read the ZESN report.

#ElectionsZW: ZEC cheated potential voters when it postponed BVR blitz