Mako Jerera
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commissioned has explained the delay in holding their voter registration blitz, which was supposed to start in December 2022 and run until February 2022.
A blitz is a special programme meant to get a large number of registrants within a short space of time, done usually as the country approaches elections.
In a statement, ZEC Acting Chief Elections Officer Mrs Jane Chigidji said they decided to put the process on hold to allow for more inclusivity.
Mrs Chigidji of ZEC said ZEC communicated these reasons with stakeholders on 24 Nov 2021.
“Postponement of Mobile Voter Registration After consultations with other critical players in voter registration, the mobile voter registration exercise pencilled for 06 December 2021 has been postponed to February 2022. The need to uphold inclusivity, which is one of the Commission’s core values, has necessitated this postponement.
This deferment is meant to allow all eligible stakeholders to acquire national identity cards, which are requisite for voter registration,” the statement read.
ZEC said the delays people are facing in getting national identity documents forced them to shelve the blitz.
ZEC dismissed reports in local opposition daily newspapers that they ‘apologized for depriving thousands of prospective first-time voters an opportunity to participate in the upcoming by-elections after it failed to provide adequate and accessible registration centres throughout the country.’
They promised to share a comprehensive BVR blitz program with details on venues, bvr kits, duration to the public and stakeholders as soon as the logistics are finalised.
The process will be done province by province.
Regular voter registration continues at designated registration centres.
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