THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has availed a copy of the ballot paper with a photograph after an aspiring opposition legislator protested against a defective ballot paper which the elections management body had prepared to be used during the elections scheduled for Monday 30 July 2018.
Livingstone Dhlumo, an aspiring opposition legislator who is contesting to be a Member of Parliament for Chipinge Central constituency filed an urgent chamber application in the Electoral Court on Friday 27 July 2018 seeking an order to compel ZEC to reprint the ballot paper for Chipinge Central constituency with his picture appearing on it.
Dhlumo, who was represented by David Tandiri and Blessing Nyamaropa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, had protested that ZEC had printed a ballot paper which is not in compliance with the provisions of section 57 of the Electoral Act and section 3 of the Electoral Regulations as his face was not appearing on the ballot paper.
Dhlumo indicated that he made the discovery on Thursday 26 July 2018, when he together with other aspiring legislators were requested by the Chipinge District Elections Officer to inspect the ballot papers.
The aspiring legislator charged that he noted that the photograph which appeared on the ballot paper is not his and it was also blurred making it difficult to recognise the person appearing on the photograph.
This compelled Dhlumo to file an urgent chamber application in the Electoral Court seeking to rectify the anomaly, which he charged prejudiced him and violated section 57 of the Electoral Act and section 3 of the Electoral Regulations.
On Sunday 29 July 2018, Dhlumo’s lawyers withdrew the urgent chamber application after ZEC regularised the anomaly by availing a ballot paper showing Dhlumo’s passport size photograph and which will be used during the elections scheduled for Monday 30 July 2018.
