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Citizens speak out on the Electoral Amendment Bill in Mashonaland
East and West
Zimbabwe
Election Support Network
October 28, 2011
This activity
update gives the highlights of the community workshops that were
conducted by ZESN in Mashonaland East and West Provinces. The workshops
again sought to highlight the importance of citizen participation
in elections, to debate on the Electoral
Amendment Bill (2011) and issues of political tolerance and
co-existence.
| Date |
Type
of Meeting |
Venue |
Area |
Province |
| 17 October |
Community
Workshop |
Rukawo
Motel |
Chegutu |
Mashonaland
West |
| 24 October |
Community
Leaders Workshop |
Malwatte |
Marondera
East |
Mashonaland
East |
| 25 October |
Community
Workshop |
Maware
Hall |
Chikomba
East |
Mashonaland
East |
| 26 October |
Community
Workshop |
Kunzwana
Women's Association, Macheke |
Murehwa
South |
Mashonaland
East |
ZESN conducted
workshops in Mashonaland East and West provinces. The workshops
focused on the Electoral Amendment Bill and the ongoing public hearings
on the Bill.
A number of
issues were raised during the workshops and these include:
- Some participants
bemoaned the polarized nature of Zimbabwe's politics which
they said was slowing development in other issues.
- Participants
at Chikomba highlighted that the Amendments were not fully explained
to the people and that submissions were being narrowed down to
party positions as happened during the COPAC
outreach process.
- Law enforcement
is lacking hence people do as they wish knowing that there is
no one who will arrest them for causing violence.
- There were
some questions as to the capacity of ZEC to carry out the election
as it had not yet been furnished with sufficient resources.
- In Chegutu
and Marondera participants argued that the 5-day timeframe for
the announcement of results was too long and there were suggestions
of a 48-hour and a 72-hour timeframe within which ZEC should announce
the results.
- Participants
also called for the cleaning of the Voters' Roll by the
RG' office before the next election is held.
- Macheke
and Chegutu participants urged the Government to ensure that those
people referred to as aliens be allowed to vote given that most
of them were born here and have established themselves as citizens
of Zimbabwe.
- In Macheke
they acknowledged that when the hearings for Citizenship Act where
conducted a number of black Zimbabweans who were of foreign descent
incorrectly thought that it would not affect them, much to their
later surprise and chagrin when they lost citizenship and the
right to vote.
- Some participants
at Chikomba East Maware Business Centre called for there to be
adequate reforms before the next election is held.
The participants
thanked ZESN for bringing the debate to their doorstep and urged
for more of these enlightening workshops on issues of national importance
such as the Electoral Amendment Bill.
Visit the ZESN
fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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