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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Zimbabwe's Elections 2013 - Index of Articles
Mobile voter registrations process a fraud: residents
Combined Harare
Residents Association (CHRA)
June 25, 2013
Residents have
described the mobile voter
registration process as a fraud, pointing out that the number
of registrants is decreasing on a daily basis due to the lack of
commitment by ZEC to instill sanity in the process. The extension
of the mobile voter registration process (from 10th June to 9th
July) has failed to make much difference to residents of Harare
as the exercise is marred with irregularities and inefficiency.
Residents have
raised an outcry at the slow pace with which the ZEC officials are
carrying out the registration process. Most registration centers
in the city are conspicuous by the long queues of frustrated residents
who spend close to eight hours waiting to be served. Some residents
who were not persistent gave up on the hope of being registered
as they cannot endure the long queues. CHRA has received disturbing
reports from its ward leaders who have been observing the events
at the registration centers in their local areas. There are reports
that Zanu-PF is busing people from the surrounding peri-urban areas
to come and register in Harare. For example, Courtney Selous Primary
School in Greendale (which is one of the registration centers in
Harare) was packed with people who had been bused from Goromonzi;
a situation that hindered most of the local residents to register
as the queues became more congested. The same goes for Mabvuku where
people were bused from Domboshawa and Goromonzi. Residents pointed
out that this is a deliberate ploy by Zanu-PF to frustrate the urban
electorate whom they know are supportive of MDC-T. One Pastor who
requested anonymity said that some of the people who are being bused
are not even registering, meaning that they probably would have
registered in their local areas but they are being used to frustrate
the urban residents who want to register.
CHRA urges ZEC
to be more professional and diligent in ensuring that people register
in their local areas so as to ensure that all residents have an
equal opportunity to exercise their right to vote. The Association
also calls on the Principals in the Inclusive
Government to intervene and urgently restore sanity in the voter
registration process. These unfortunate incidences leave a lot to
be desired in the whole electoral process as the principle of fairness
is not being employed. CHRA believes that the rights of residents
to vote should be respected and that begins with giving them the
opportunity to register to exercise that right.
Visit the CHRA
fact
sheet
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