1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
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six months of the date of its presentation. The determination of pre-<strong>election</strong> disputes should be<br />
done fairly but within a very tight time frame. In practice, electoral petitions have not been<br />
solved within the set time frame. There is also need to ensure that a competent, wellresourced,<br />
effective, independent and impartial judiciary and electoral institutions is in place.<br />
The Electoral Court should be given adequate jurisdiction to resolve disputes before the<br />
<strong>election</strong> has taken place. While other mechanisms like multi-liaison committees were set up,<br />
they remained invisible in both intent and practice.<br />
Electoral Offences<br />
Section 133A of the Electoral Laws Amendment Act 2008 introduced new provisions that spell<br />
out in detail what constitutes the offence of intimidation. Inflicting or threatening to inflict bodily<br />
harm, causing or threatening to cause bodily harm or abducting a person are electoral offences<br />
if the person doing these things compels a person or persons generally to vote for a political<br />
party or to refrain from voting or to attend a political meeting. They also constitute electoral<br />
offences if they are committed by a person who, in order to compel another person to vote for a<br />
political party, withholds or threatens to withhold any assistance to which that other person is<br />
entitled or illegally does or threatens to do anything to the disadvantage of another person.<br />
However for these provisions to be effective they will need to be properly enforced by the law<br />
enforcement agencies. Where complaints of political intimidation are made to the Electoral<br />
Commission, the Commission should be given powers to direct the Commissioner-General of<br />
Police to ensure that an urgent and proper investigation is conducted into the complaints. It is<br />
also instructive to note that electoral processes can hardly be understood in isolation from the<br />
legal framework.<br />
Polling Stations<br />
ZEC published the list of polling stations on 8 March 2008. Below is a table showing the<br />
number of polling stations and the average number of registered voters by province:<br />
Province Registered<br />
Voters<br />
Provinces, Constituencies and Registered Voters<br />
Polling Stations Average Number<br />
of Registered<br />
Voters per<br />
Polling Station<br />
Assembly<br />
Constituencies<br />
Average Number<br />
of Registered<br />
Voters per<br />
Assembly<br />
Constituency<br />
Bulawayo 313,459 207 1,514,3 12 26,121,6<br />
Harare 766,478 379 2,022,4 29 26,430,3<br />
Manicaland 709,664 1,150 617.1 26 27,294,8<br />
Mashonaland<br />
Central<br />
448,477 774 579,4 18 24,915,4<br />
Mashonaland<br />
East<br />
624,630 1,038 601,8 23 27,157,8<br />
Mashonaland<br />
West<br />
582,989 1,100 530.0 22 26,499,5<br />
Masvingo 699,199 1,202 581,7 26 26,892,3<br />
Matebeleland<br />
North<br />
345,264 545 633,5 13 26,558,8<br />
Matebeleland<br />
South<br />
342,280 528 648,3 13 26,329,2<br />
Midlands 739,510 1,289 573,7 28 26,411,1<br />
TOTAL 5,571,950 9,132 687,5 210 26,533.1<br />
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