THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has admitted that the polling station-based voters’ roll trial-run recently conducted in Marondera exposed glaring logistical challenges which could stop plans to roll it out to all parts of the country ahead of the the 2018 general elections.
By Phyllis Mbanje
Addressing stakeholders during a feedback meeting in Harare last week, Zec officials consented that the pilot exercise had been fraught with numerous hiccups, like lack of financial and human resources, casting doubts on whether it will be used in the next elections.
“The process exposed that we are ill-prepared, we suffered from mobility challenges, we had no transport,” Zec commissioner Bessie Nhandara said.
She said they had to borrow computers and printers to administer the Marondera Central by-election.
“If we are to cascade this exercise we need a fleet of cars and further training of our staff,” Nhandara said.
The pilot project is in line with realignment of electoral laws to the country’s Constitution before putting the system to full use in the 2018 elections.
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Under the new system, a voter is allowed to vote at only one polling station where the voter’s name appears. Zimbabwe has been using a ward-based voters’ roll where voters were allowed to vote in more than five polling stations within that ward.
Opposition parties that attended the meeting expressed concern at Zec’s inadequacies.
“Does Zec have the capacity to come up with this new system in time for the 2018 elections?” MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu asked.
Gutu said he was concerned that the pilot project would remain just that, a pilot.
Other stakeholders called for a total abandonment of the whole exercise especially if there was no guarantee of a free and fair process.
However, Zec chief elections officer Constance Chigwamba said it was preparing for the transition towards creating a polling station-based voter registration database.
