A coalition of residents associations under the flagship of Residents Coalition for Electoral Reforms [RACER] has petitioned the Parliament of Zimbabwe seeking intervention in the ongoing voter registration blitz.
The appeal to Parliament comes in the wake of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) voter registration blitz in various wards across the country in a bid to register citizens to vote especially the first time voters.
The coalition has expressed dismay over the lack of access to national identity documents for people to register to vote and that some areas indicated on the ZEC schedule for voter registration, officials did not show on the 2nd of February 2022 at Epworth Primary School as provided in the schedule or timetable.
“We require the Registrar General to appear before Parliament to publish plans and measures to decentralize national identity documents registration. We are troubled that the lack of access to national identification documents now infringes the right to vote and participation of citizens in regular elections, a right which is at the core of democracy and a fundamental value of our Constitution.
“It is a now a major stumbling block to voter registration processes and has the potential to derail the voter registration blitz exercise. Violates the right and entitlement of citizens to national registration documents such as birth certificates and identity documents,” said RACER.
The coalition called on parliament to protect the constitution by repealing Statutory Instrument 225A/2020.
“The Petitioner beseeches the Parliament of Zimbabwe to protect the Constitution and democratic governance in Zimbabwe, ensure that the provisions of the supreme law are upheld and that the State and all institutions and agencies of government at every level act constitutionally and in the national interest and account to Parliament by exercising its constitutional mandate to Repeal S.I. 225A/2020 which suspended by-elections in light of the fact that COVID-19 has visibly slowed down,” reads part of the petition.
