Election Resource Centre has called on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to target aliens and other disadvantaged groups in its voter voter education programme to ensure they are well informed of the requirements needed for them to register to vote.
Addressing the media in the capital on Monday, ERC Executive Director, Tawanda Chimhini said aliens, women, youth and persons with disabilities were affected by challenges during the previous BVR exercise hence the need for ZEC to widely publicize requirements for them to register to vote.
“As ERC we implore ZEC to intensify voter education for voter registration targeting aliens,women,youth,persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups were largely affected by challenges during the previous BVR exercise.
“Requirements for former aliens have not been adequately published and publicized for ease of participation by the vulnerable group.
“The lack of explanation on the selection or sampling criteria for the 2 850 registration centres and the absence of dis-aggregated data prevents stakeholders from assessing the sampling criteria of the mop up exercise.
“In addition, although aliens reside across the country, ZEC set up 2 850 mobile centres out over 9 500 polling stations,” said Chimhini.
He added that voter education remains largely inadequate witnessed by low uptake of the BVR exercise particularly in Harare and Bulawayo.
“Voter education and voter information for voter registration remains largely inadequate as witnessed by low uptake of the BVR exercise particularly in Harare and Bulawayo.
“We also implore ZEC to increase number of kits in areas that reported a low turn out of registrants, in particular Bulawayo, Harare and Matabeleland South.
“We also need immediate reform of electoral process in particular alignment of electoral laws with the Constitution of Zimbabwe, including but not limited to ensuring independence of ZEC extending the right to vote to all eligible Zimbabweans, creation of a political environment that allows citizens to freely participate in electoral processes and opening up our electoral process for international scrutiny,” he said.
The mop up voter registration process will run from 10 January to 8 February 2018.
ZEC registered 4,7 million voters during the four phases of the BVR blitz against a target of 7 million. They have since revised their target to 5,5 million, a number they could reach during the mop up exercise put in place to cater for former ‘aliens’ who successfully challenged the denial of their rights to vote in Zimbabwe.
