1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio

Mtoko North, Shamva North, Marondera West, Murehwa North and Glen View South].The
MDC Mutambara faction managed to field 152 House of Assembly candidates while
independent candidates around the whole country add up to 105.
Voter and Civic Education Processes
Under the current Electoral Act, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has primary responsibility
for conducting a programme of voter education. The Commission is obliged to commence a
programme of voter education not later than 90 days before the polling day of an election and
to conduct accurate and unbiased voter education. In conducting its program the Commission
is also expected to ensure that those it employs have sound knowledge of the electoral laws
and processes and that they remain scrupulously impartial and do not show bias for or against
any particular political party. The Electoral Act also provides for civic participation in voter
education. Interested civic organizations are obliged to furnish ZEC with copies of all the
proposed voter education materials and ensure that the materials is not misleading or biased in
favour of any political party. Voter education is provided by citizens or permanent residents
domiciled in the country, operating through an authorized organization. However, the Act bans
foreign funding.
However in the 29 March Election, voter education started late and also with reports of “little
voter education” having been conducted by ZEC by the time of elections. Voter education
efforts were also reportedly compromised by resource constraints, inadequate training of voter
educators, and insufficient and incorrect information on the electoral process as well as
contradictory information on how voters requiring assistance would be treated. For instance,
some cases ZEC brochures reportedly stated that proof of residence would be required on
polling day, in addition to identification documents, misleading information that caused undue
alarm to prospective voters given the challenges experienced in securing proof of residence.
This gap was filled by the visible participation in civic education of local NGOs with ZESN
playing a lead role. Besides the newspaper adverts, there was no visible, prior awareness or
publicity campaign to brief the electorate on this critical component of the electoral process.
ZESN conducted public outreach workshops countrywide coupled with radio and television
adverts in which it was encouraging people to register as voters. It also used both independent
and private media to flight newspaper adverts.
However ZESN adverts deemed to be direct voter education were scrapped from the electronic
and print media following a letter from ZEC asserting that the law only allowed the conducting
of voter education by institutions authorized to do so by ZEC. The letter was copied to media
houses and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Services. Civic education adverts inserted by civil
society organizations such as National Associations for the Care of the Handicapped
[NASCOH] were also taken off the air after a few days after ZEC’s intervention.
Polling Procedures
Sections 28 [3] and 58[1] of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Act No. 18 require
presidential, parliamentary, senatorial and local authority elections to be held simultaneously.
Under this framework, voters are entitled to vote even if they are not registered on the ward
voters roll, so long as they can produce a voters’ registration certificate (which, presumably,
must show that they are entitled to be registered on the roll]. Before being issued with a ballot
paper, a registered voter is required to produce a voters’ registration certificate or proof of
identity. It is however trite to not that few if any voters were issued with voter’s registration
certificates.
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