adminThe main problem was that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission did not have a final list of candidates, with their political affiliation, until late on Friday when the results of several court cases became known. But that final list for this weekend is the same final list for the main Election Day at the end of the month.
So the ballot papers that were available for special voting are the same ballot papers that will be issued on July 31.
Any candidate who now wishes to withdraw cannot officially do so. All they can do is run around begging people not to vote for them, but their name remains on the ballot. Should a candidate die, then there will have to be a by-election in that ward or constituency.
The deadlines for legal challenges in the nomination process, and the deadline for formal withdrawal of nominations by candidates who have changed their minds and no longer seek office, are there to ensure that the ZEC can have ballot papers printed and available in time.
Unfortunately the tight schedule for this year’s elections, set by the Constitutional Court, meant that the special voting day was always going to be difficult. The President did in fact choose the last possible day he was legally allowed by the Court to give the maximum time possible for the organisation but the scheduling of the preliminary steps was very tight indeed. It is possibly worth noting that since the President did choose the last possible day, there was no real need for him to consult anyone, unless of course there are Cabinet members who wanted an earlier day.
In the past, postal ballots were used for those such as the police who were officially outside their constituencies on polling day. But those generated far more debate than they were worth, despite all the checks in place. So special voting was set up for this year. Polling stations for this special voting were run by ZEC itself. Party agents and observers could see the early voting process, could see that every voter was a real live human being with an ID, could see that the ballot was totally secret, with no voter told how to vote, and could even see that voters had their fingers marked with dye, so they know no one voted twice.
Since almost all special voters are members of the uniformed services, with the police and its reserve constabulary forming the overwhelming bulk of special voters, there was the additional safeguard that just about every special voter was wearing a uniform. ZEC bent over backwards to meet all possible objections and in the end the only people who suffered were those who have to ensure that the voting in 16 days time is peaceful and that all materials and ballot boxes for the millions who vote then are properly protected.
The one good point was that ZEC were almost ready yesterday. So the commission will be fully ready for July 31. Special voting was the only new event in this year’s poll. The rest of the election follows procedures that have been run, and timed, before. Full harmonised elections were seen in 2008, so most voters know about multiple ballots. Polling staff are also mostly old hands, so they too know what to do.
ZEC largely sorted out the processing of voters that same year, avoiding queues that had marred previous elections, but have put in extra polling stations this year just in case, after their experiences of the referendum which ran remarkably smoothly but with a record turn-out of voters.
The special voting could not really be postponed. The people entitled to an early vote have to be deployed well in advance of the main polling day to ensure that the main body of adult citizens do not have any problems and that voting on that day is smooth and hassle free.
Online Reporter