1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio

the Constitution. It also claimed that Proclamation of electoral boundaries was further defective
in that it did not include the boundaries of wards yet the nomination process must be conducted
based on ward voters’ rolls. However, while this case was overtaken by events [with the
subsequent of the nomination court], the effects of such an oversight should not be
underestimated. For instance, ZANU PF primary elections for councilors held in Gwanda on 30
January 2008 using the old ward boundaries had to be re-done on 4 February 2008.
Further to this, a number of challenges were faced during inspection and registration
processes. In some provinces, the absence of adequate material was experienced as people
wishing to register were turned away as stationery was not available at the inspection centers.
In Harare, some people that registered as voters were not given registration slips and were
asked to collect these from ZEC Head Offices in Harare. Proof of residence continued to be a
problematic requirement for some prospective voters, especially the youth. Political parties
reportedly received voters’ rolls a few days before elections while NGOs like ZESN received
them after the elections. Insufficient and incorrect information was provided to citizens about
the registration process, little time allocated for the inspection of the voters roll while in some
cases, upon registration, some potential voters were not provided with registration slips [green
passes]. Since voter registration is continuous and the rolls are stored electronically, it is
strongly recommended that they be available to political parties and relevant election observers
at any time in both printed and electronic form.
Also, while the Electoral Laws Amendment Act [2008] empowers the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission, rather than the Registrar-General to be responsible for keeping and maintaining
voters’ rolls, a clearer demarcation needs to be made between the functions of the Commission
and the Registrar-General in regard to voter registration. For instance, while the Commission
will “keep and maintain” the rolls, the function of registering voters and updating the rolls
remains with constituency registrars, who are under the control of the Registrar-General. In
practice, the office of the Registrar-General has remained visible in the preparation and
inspection of the voters’ roll. On 31 January 2008, the Registrar-General, Tobaiwa Mudede,
was quoted saying that his office would be training and deploying staff to oversee the
inspection of the voter’s roll. A complete transfer of all functions to ZEC in order to ensure its
efficiency and independence is recommended.
Delimitation Processes
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is now responsible for delimiting constituencies and other
electoral boundaries. The Electoral Commission is obliged to give public notice before
embarking on a delimitation exercise and entertain representations from political parties and
other interested parties who are likely to be affected by its decisions. The Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission Act specifically requires the Commission to keep the public informed about
constituencies and other electoral boundaries, a mandate which the Commission did not fulfill
as the electorate had not been given any of this vital information prior to the inspection period.
Only at inspection centers was one able to access information pertaining to the wards and
constituencies.
With the adoption of the Constitutional Amendment No.18 in 2007, it was mandatory to
undertake a fresh delimitation exercise. Parliamentary constituencies had been increased from
150 to 210 while the senate’s directly elected members were increased from 50 to 60 with six
senators per province. Since the 29 March Elections also included local elections, ZEC had an
onerous task of ensuring that no local authority ward falls into two or more House of Assembly
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