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Millions of Zimbabweans went to the polls in peace and harmony yesterday to elect their president, 210 members of parliament and about 1 900 councillors.
Voting started at 7am and was scheduled to end at 7pm but election officials could extend the period to allow prospective voters already in queues to cast their ballots.
There were a total of 10 985 polling stations countrywide staffed by about 130 000 officers. At least 5 695 706 people who appear on the voters’ roll were expected to exercise their right to vote.
President Mnangagwa, the Zanu-PF presidential candidate, voted at Sherwood Primary School near Kwekwe at 10.02am yesterday; his main opponent, Mr Nelson Chamisa, voting at Kuwadzana in Harare.
“I am happy that both the processes of campaigning was peaceful and the voting day itself is peaceful. I have no doubt that the process and the entire electoral processes will remain peaceful. I can assure you that this country is enjoying a democratic space which has never been experienced before,” said President Mnangagwa after he and his family voted.
Mr Chamisa said:
“It’s a great moment for Zimbabwe; hoping that in the rural areas, the ballot that has been used is an appropriate one.”
Giving an update in the afternoon, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba said 90 percent of the 10 985 polling stations opened as scheduled and was optimistic that by 7pm balloting would have been completed.
Details on voter turnout were sketchy at the time of her briefing, but she pointed out that there was a huge turnout in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe in Mashonaland East Province, Bindura North in Mashonaland Central and some parts of Harare.
It was indeed a smooth and peaceful process by the time of writing, a state of affairs that was confirmed by Mr Hailemariam Desalegne, head of the African Union Election Observer Mission.
Zimbabweans have always shown their civility even in situations that would normally be cause for conflict in other jurisdictions. Yesterday was no exception as millions voted in an orderly fashion. All credit goes to President Mnangagwa for his message of peace and non-violence since he assumed office in November last year. He took every chance presented to him to campaign for tolerance, peace and harmony while stressing the importance of a free, fair, transparent and credible election. He also told Zanu-PF supporters to be peaceful and refuse to be provoked by opposition members seeking to undermine the credibility of the election.
In line with President Mnangagwa’s repeated calls for free, fair, peaceful and credible elections political parties signed a peace pledge — the first in the history of elections in Zimbabwe — under which they committed themselves to peace before, during and after the harmonised poll.
On the evidence of yesterday, Zec has so far delivered a flawless election in a country that had become accustomed to pre-election violence and unnecessary tension.
With the pre-poll period and polling day having been calm, we have entered the post-balloting phase which is just as critical. We expect election officials to have started counting the votes soon after the closure of polling stations at 7pm and overnight. Results will start rolling out this morning for councillors, followed by members of parliament and the big one — the presidential — within five days.
We urge political leaders and their faithful to let Zec do its work without undue influence. It has to be stated that there is still a lot of work to be done, done most meticulously leading to the official announcement of results.
Still on this point — we must emphasise that it is Zec’s responsibility to announce election results and no one else’s. Political parties must just wait for Zec to do its work because if they take it upon themselves to announce what they think are the results that could cause tensions if the so-called results turn out to be fake.
As in any election, there will be celebrations for the victors and disappointment for the losers. As we move towards the official announcement of the results our people have to be careful how we respond to them. The pre-election and polling periods are as critical as the aftermath as we mentioned earlier, thus any irresponsible conduct can, even at this advanced stage, undermine the overall credibility of the election.
We urge our people to take any result that comes their way with grace; winners celebrating responsibly and losers accepting their fate and grieving responsibly.
“Let us remember that no matter who we support, we are all brothers and sisters and that, above all, the Zimbabwe after the polls will still be home to us all — winners and losers alike,” President Mnangagwa counselled at his last campaign rally on Saturday.
“This land is all we have, all that we are fated to share and live in as compatriots. Let all candidates behave responsibly, and remember their sacred duty to promote peace and tolerance.”
Online Reporter