CCC demands 2018 voters’ roll

RYAN CHIGOCHE

Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Citizens Coalitions for Change  (CCC) wants the  Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)  to revert to the 2018 voters’ roll after identifying  anomalies in the current electoral register for the upcoming March 26 by elections.

CCC also wants ZEC to use the 2008 delimited Ward and Constituency boundaries.

Addressing a press conference in the capital yesterday, CCC deputy secretary for elections,  Ellen Shiriyedenga said the current roll was not fit to be used in the coming election.

“The CCC has concluded that the current state of the voters’ roll is not fit for the purposes of the impending by-election nor any other purpose thereof.

“CCC is making frantic engagements  to engage ZEC and is also taking up litigation measures to compel it (ZEC) to revert to the 2018 voters roll using the 2008 delimited Ward and Constituency boundaries,’’ Shiriyedenga said.

She added that the voter rolls must be nullified because ZEC distanced themselves from it despite the fact that she bought it from their offices.

‘‘As a matter of fact, ZEC has disowned the voters’ roll used for analysis as a ‘draft’, ‘fake’, ‘leaked document’ or having been acquired unprocedurally.

“These allegations are made despite the fact that the national voters’ roll used for analysis was purchased from ZEC on February 1, 2022 and the receipts issued to CCC.

“Let’s say for arguments sake, the audited voters roll is inaccurate as claimed by ZEC, it should then avail the correct version of the voters roll which should also be used on March 26 by-election,” she added.

The CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere, who also spoke at the same event, said ZEC must ease the voter registration process.

“More work needs to be done by ZEC to ensure that the registration process is simplified and made more accessible and that first time voters have got access to identity documents.

“So we continue in our demands for electoral reforms. ZEC must act constitutionally. They must show commitment to act in accordance with the constitution or it must be disbanded.

“The statement by ZEC, recently refusing to account for the irregularities on the voters’ roll is unconstitutional and unacceptable. We demand credible voter rolls. ZEC has failed disastrously on this,’’ Mahere said.

The anomalies that CCC discovered upon analysing the voters roll were ranging from duplicates, displaced voters, persons with same addresses being moved to other wards or constituencies without their knowledge.

In addition, the party discovered 413 registered voters in Harare East that did not provide their known addresses as well as cases of suspiciously multiple individuals registered under one address.

The party also demanded transparency and integrity of the election material and equipment.

ZEC, according to CCC, has not been transparent with regards to the suppliers, production, design, quantities and other logistical issues that include storage of the election material.

This, they said, would certainly dent the integrity of the process.

However,  CCC is saying that the failure by ZEC to provide that information timeously damaged the integrity of the elections.

More so the identification and the selection of the suppliers were not discussed at all with candidates.

The Nelson Chamisa-led CCC also raised an issue over the voter registration process. 

CCC demanded relevant stakeholders to execute their mandates by ensuring that eligible citizens are accorded the opportunity to register as voters by issuing them identity document.

Lack of critical national documents has seen a few people, especially in Matabeleland provinces, failing to register to vote during the  just ended voter registration exercise  blitz.

The mobile voter registration, which was in two phases, will see the second phase run from April 11 to 30.