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Massive irregularities in voter registration exercise
Tichaona Sibanda, SW Radio Africa
August 08, 2007

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news080807/voters080807.htm

There are reports that hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans could have failed to register their names with the mobile voter registration teams, after officials avoided certain areas associated with opposition supporters.

MDC legislator Editor Matamisa, who first raised the issue of the irregularities with her party, claimed on Wednesday that the mobile registration teams did not bother to visit her constituency, which has close to 10 000 residents who want be added to the voters' roll.

Matamisa explained that Southern African Development Community principles and guidelines governing democratic elections, recognise the importance of full participation of citizens in the political process.

She said this is the reason why the registration period is very important. The Kadoma central legislator warned that widespread inefficiencies and fraud are already pointing to massive rigging of the poll by Zanu (PF). She said she was shocked to learn that many government officials were unaware of the current registration exercise.

'I have been to every office that matters in Kadoma to find out what has been happening to the exercise and no-one knows anything. There are no posters in the town but what scares us is that Zanu councillors have been bragging to me that most of their supporters have been registered. So the question is where did these people register?' Asked Matamisa.

The outspoken MP said instead of guaranteeing citizens' basic rights to register freely, the government and electoral officials were already actively colluding in the rigging of the presidential and parliamentary polls.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network recently said the time allocated for the mobile registration exercise was too short. ZESN like all pro-democracy groups in the country have proposed that the exercise be extended to at least four months and called for more public awareness on the on going exercise.

The normal voter registration exercise, as opposed to mobile registration, has been taking place at the same time. But few people seem to be aware of this process, even MDC MP's seem to be unaware that this is taking place.

'We have a situation where government officials in most areas have zipped their lips and closed their eyes to this blatant rigging before the actual election. Obviously these irregularities taint the entire exercise and defeat its very purpose,' Matamisa said.

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