adminThousands of local and foreign observers and media organisations’ representatives that observed the referendum held in one day on March 16, lauded ZEC for managing a flawless poll. Voters heeded President Mugabe’s call to desist from acts of violence before and after the poll. Other leaders in the inclusive Government echoed President Mugabe’s call. Our senior reporter Farirai Machivenyika (FM), caught up with ZEC chairperson Mrs Rita Makarau (RM) to about this and other issues.
FM: How would you describe the conduct of the just-ended constitutional referendum?
RM: The just-ended constitutional referendum was conducted in a very professional and efficient manner. It was also very peaceful and is a huge success for the people of Zimbabwe.
FM: What lessons did you draw from the exercise?
RM: We drew quite a number of lessons from this exercise.
Firstly, the conduct of elections, being restricted in terms of the time within which everything must be done from polling to the announcement of the results, is capital intensive and cannot be resourced piecemeal as all personnel, election materials and other logistics such as transport and communication have to be in place well before the commencement of polling. There is no room for delay. Other aspects related to a free and fair poll such as voter education commence well before the actual conduct of the poll. Therefore, adequate funding and the timely release of such funding become imperative.
Secondly, the communication network in Zimbabwe in terms of the road network and telecommunications leaves certain remote parts of the country difficult to access. We learnt during the past exercise that we need to beef up our capacity to access remote areas and where possible consider and open up other modes of communicating and reach the remote parts of the country. The commission is in dire need of its own vehicles as the current fleet is not only old but expensive to maintain. The fleet is also inadequate to meet the needs of the commission for the pending harmonised elections.
Thirdly and more importantly, we have learnt that a peaceful poll in Zimbabwe is possible. We cherish this lesson learnt and we hope that all Zimbabweans have also learnt that a peaceful poll is possible and that they equally cherish this lesson as we do.
FM: What challenges did you encounter in preparing and holding the referendum and what should be done to overcome those challenges in future?
RM: The commission’s main challenge in preparing and holding the referendum related to funding of the whole process. Often treasury released insufficient funds than what was required at a particular moment or at times, released the required amount late.
This affected the smooth planning of the whole process. Due to the time of the year during which the referendum was held, we had problems of extreme weather in the north east, which affected not only polling but communication in some parts of Mashonaland Central. While we had these challenges in the past exercise, we do not believe that they will pose challenges in the coming elections. Treasury is aware that we are going into this national exercise and I am confident that they have already commenced mobilising adequate resources for the exercise.
FM: The dates for the harmonised elections may be announced anytime soon, what is ZEC’s state of preparedness for the polls?
RM: ZEC is ready to conduct the harmonised elections as soon as the polling date is announced. The announcements of the polling dates will necessarily have to be accompanied by the release of the necessary funding to kick start the whole process.
FM: How much money is required to ensure a smooth flow of the voting process?
RM: The commission requires about US$107 million to ensure a smooth flow of the voting process. It has already submitted a budget breaking down this amount to the Government.
FM: The mobile voter registration exercise has been postponed due to a shortage of financial resources. How will this affect the general elections in light of concerns by some quarters on the state of the voters’ roll?
RM: Voter registration is a continuous process in Zimbabwe. People are free to visit the registration centres set up by the Registrar General of voters in the various districts and provinces of the countries to register as voters. It is prudent for people to use these facilities and not to wait for the mobile registration exercise which is only conducted prior to a general election. The mobile registration exercise is not a legal requirement in terms of the law but is simply a facility that is used by the commission to assist the populace to acquire various documents including those which are vital for voting purposes. Failure to conduct a mobile registration exercise does not in any way affect the status of the voters roll.
FM: What mechanisms are in place to ensure that people in areas not accessible by road vote?
RM: As I have said, one of the challenges that we were faced with during the referendum was the inaccessibility of certain parts of the country. We will engage the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for greater assistance in the form of helicopters and speed boats to make all areas accessible. We did receive such assistance in the just ended referendum.
FM: What roles should political parties and civic organisation play as we prepare for the polls?
RM: Political parties and civic organisations should play the role of peace and nation building as we prepare for the polls. They should complement the role played by the principals in the Global Political Agreement and Government, who have taken every opportunity to preach peace. It is vital for the nation to have a peaceful election in order for us to move forward.
FM: How safe are some of the voting materials such as ink to the officers and voters?
RM: Generally, the voting materials are safe to use but as you may be aware, people react differently if they come in contact with chemicals. What we have also discovered is that we need to provide more training to our staff especially on the handling of the voting ink and to provide them with an adequate hygienic kit for the job.
Online Reporter