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Kuda Bwititi Herald Reporter
Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau has revealed that all political parties failed to heed a call to assist in the clean-up of the voters’ roll during the voter registration exercise when the electoral body invited stakeholders to identify some irregularities on the electoral register. Justice Makarau also scoffed at claims that thousands of voters were turned away from urban centres sayingsuch an allegation was easy to make but hard to substantiate.
This comes as it has become apparent that the MDC-T, which yesterday declared Wednesday’s poll “null and void” citing “a shambolic voters’ roll” as one of its main reasons, also failed to make use of recommendations by ZEC.
In an interview yesterday, Justice Makarau said political parties had ample time to assist in the cleaning up of the voters’ roll well ahead of polling.
“We made vigorous attempts to clean up the voters’ roll. I am on record of having invited all stakeholders to numerous meetings to say if you noticed any irregularities in the voters’ roll, please bring them forward to our attention.
Indeed, we received quite a number of complaints from stakeholders which we did forward to the RGV. After this, no one came back to us to say those irregularities remained in the voters’ roll.”
She said the report that had been given by the Sadc Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF) had vindicated ZEC’s position that the voters’ roll can never be perfect.
“We do take note of the concerns that they raised to have a cleaned-up voters’ roll. We take also note of the concerns that they raised that no country actually has a clean voters’ roll. This is the point that we have been making all along that dead people will always be found on the voters’ roll.
The safeguard comes then in being able to explain away some of the alleged irregularities and where they can be cleaned they should be cleaned.”
Justice Makarau said the will of the people expressed during the voting superseded the voters’ roll.
“We have also always said that the voters’ roll does not vote. It is but material that we use in an election. Yes it has to be clean, yes it has to be credible but it cannot be used to drown the voice of the people. Where the people have spoken, in our view as ZEC, notwithstanding alleged irregularities in the voters’ roll, the will of the people and the voice of the people should be given preference as opposed to irregularities in a roll.”
Justice Makarau said although concerns were raised about the number of excess ballots, it was not possible for electoral fraud to occur because of the surplus ballots issued as a safety measure.
She said ZEC would whittle down the number of excess ballots in future elections. “On the printing of excess ballots, it was a point well made by the ECF. It’s a point that we heard and in the next election we will consider decreasing the margin from 35 percent to 10 percent. But it is not an issue because we have an obligation to account for the ballot papers that went to the provinces and that will be done. Each province will reconcile what they received and what they used.
There is no possibility to use excess ballots for rigging because one, the process is open to observers and it is such that before voting and before any ballots are cast, you are shown any empty box and the only ballots that you count are those that are cast only in your presence so there is no possibility, none whatsoever that outside ballots can be brought in. Our processes are such that you cannot use excess ballot to rig the election.” Justice Makarau said there was no need to raise alarm over the number of assisted voters as this was mostly common in rural areas where the elderly constitute a significant chunk of the population.
She said the argument that thousands of voters were turned away from urban centres did not hold water. “That is an allegation that is easy to make and hard to prove. Who are the thousands and what proof is there that they belonged to a certain party. These are nameless, faceless persons so it is just an allegation. It’s a claim that is easy to make but we have not had any substantiation.”
Online Reporter