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NewsDay

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Ward-based voting in new constitution

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KWEKWE — A member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution (Copac) and MDC-T national executive has said the draft constitution provides for ward-based voting instead of polling station-based voting system. Addressing party supporters at a campaign rally in Mbizo at the weekend, Mkoba MP Amos Chibaya said Copac had resolved to adopt ward-based […]

KWEKWE — A member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution (Copac) and MDC-T national executive has said the draft constitution provides for ward-based voting instead of polling station-based voting system.

Addressing party supporters at a campaign rally in Mbizo at the weekend, Mkoba MP Amos Chibaya said Copac had resolved to adopt ward-based polling system to curb incidents of voter intimidation.

“The draft constitution provides for ward-based voting which we feel is ideal for our country because of years of violence where Zanu PF has been known for targeting opposition supporters on their way to the polling station,” said Chibaya.

Ward-based voting allows registered voters to cast the ballot from any polling station in the ward which they were registered, while poll-based voting restricts voters to a particular polling station.

The MDC-T claimed that thousands of its supporters were hounded out of their wards in the run-up to the June 2008 presidential run-off polls and failed to cast their vote.

“Imagine the violence that we witnessed in 2008, how our supporters were chased away from their wards so that they could not vote. It would make life easier for those thugs if we adopt polling station-based voting because targeting members of our party will be easy,” said Chibaya.

But MDC president Welshman Ncube said the system gave rise to vote-rigging and double voting. “It is those who benefit from double voting who continue to insist on the ward-based voting system,” said Ncube.