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ZEC to set up more polling stations
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
February 07, 2008

http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=30577&cat=1

THERE will be more polling stations countrywide in the March 29 synchronised elections as voting will take place in one day, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairman Justice George Chiweshe said yesterday.

Voters will also vote within their wards.

In previous elections, voters could cast the ballot at any polling station in their respective constituencies.

Justice Chiweshe said the commission would set between four and five polling stations per ward to allow the electorate to exercise its right.

He said the idea to increase the number of polling stations was to ensure that every voter participates in the plebiscite on the gazetted day.

"People can vote in one day because our voters’ roll is ward based. Voters can’t cast outside their ward. Therefore everyone will be able to vote come March 29. We don’t foresee any problem," said Justice Chiweshe.

He said ZEC had experience in handling harmonised elections since it observed such polls in Zambia and Tanzania.

The ZEC boss said officers from the commission went to the neighbouring countries to observe elections in 2006 and also received relevant training.

Zimbabweans are set to participate in historical elections where they will choose councillors, Members of Parliament, senators and the President in a day.

Voters will be issued with four ballot papers with distinct colours when entering the polling booth.

"It’s not something new in Southern Africa to conduct harmonised elections. Some countries have done it before and we were there as observers. Therefore, that explains that harmonised elections are manageable," said Justice Chiweshe.

He said the advantage of holding synchronised polls was that costs were reduced by 75 percent.

"We are just going to spend 25 percent of what we were supposed to if we had separate elections. It actually cuts costs and that’s important," said the ZEC boss.

As preparations for the elections gather momentum, Justice Chiweshe said polling officers, presiding officers and other election teams would undergo training, starting from next week.

He said the training exercise follows the acquisition of essential election material such as translucent boxes and inks.

Justice Chiweshe said the commission was concluding mobilising resources as some of the material was yet to arrive in the country.

He said one of the major outstanding issues was fuel and transport but remained optimistic that everything would be done on time.

Justice Chiweshe said although the Nomination Court sitting date was moved to Friday next week, the sitting venues were not changed.

Justice Chiweshe said voter education was in progress nationwide.

In September, the House of Assembly and the Senate unanimously passed Constitutional Amendment Number 18, which provides for significant changes in the country’s electoral dispensation.

The amendment sets out the framework to harmonise presidential and parliamentary elections, reduce the presidential term of office from six years to five, increase the number of seats in the House of Assembly from 150 to 210 and in the Senate from 66 to 93, to empower Parliament to serve as an electoral college should the office of president become vacant for any reason, and to empower the ZEC to delimit parliamentary and local constituencies.

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