We’re ready to roll, says ZEC boss

for polling officers.

At least US$130 million is required to conduct polls to elect a President, national assembly members and councillors.
Several parties and independent candidates last Friday filed their nomination papers for the harmonised elections.

The commission will today conduct a one-day “train the trainer programme” for polling agents at Cresta Jameson Hotel in Harare.
All parties contesting the elections are to send three agents, while independent candidates are to send one representative.

Addressing journalists after meeting Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in Harare yesterday, ZEC chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said her commission was ready to administer a successful poll.

The meeting was also attended by Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Home Affairs co-minister Theresa Makone.
ZEC’s pronouncement comes at a time when MDC-T, which is already sensing defeat, is making frivolous and spurious attempts to discredit the polls.

Said Justice Makarau: “As ZEC we are always prepared for the elections and we are prepared for July 31 as the polling date.
“We are ready in terms of our machinery and that machinery simply needs to be financed, but it is in place. We can do almost everything as long as it is funded.

“We know where we want to set our polling stations, for instance. We know what will go into that polling station, the material that we will require, we know how many people we need and how much allowances we will pay out.

“All we simply wait for is for them (Government) to fund that plan. Otherwise our plan is on the ground”.
Justice Makarau said Treasury had pledged to look into their budget of US$130 million.

She said the commission had written to the relevant authorities to submit a list of those eligible to vote through postal voting.
Justice Makarau expressed hope that the outcome of the elections would satisfy all contestants.

She said they also updated Mr Tsvangirai on progress made on the mandatory voter registration exercise which ends on July 10.
“For the avoidance of doubt, nobody is supposed to be turned away for want of proof of residence,” Justice Makarau said.

PM Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Mr Luke Tamborinyoka listed a catalogue of unsubstantiated claims after the meeting, among them a claim that an Israeli company called Nikuv International Projects was working with the Registrar-General of Voters to tamper with the voters’ roll.

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He said MDC-T was concerned with long queues at voter registration centres, especially in urban areas.
Mr Tamborinyoka said during the meeting that his boss raised issues regarding the number of police officers who have applied for special voting.

He, however, failed to explain the role the company was playing in the exercise, claiming it was public knowledge.
“One of the issues that came up in the meeting is that of Nikuv which is alleged to be working with the Registrar General of Voters,” he said.

“There was also the issue of 50 000 police officers who are said to have applied for special voting which the Minister of Home Affairs expressed doubts if the country actually has 50 000 police officers.”

Observers said it was strange that Home Affairs Co-minister Theresa Makone, who is an MDC-T executive member, could only express doubts on the number of police officers without telling her boss the actual number.

The observers said its either Mr Tsvangirai was aware of the number of police officers in the country but was trying to be mischievous or that his subordinate was hiding the actual figures in order for him to appear a fool by peddling figures he is not sure of.

Mr Tsvangirai has in recent months come up with all sorts of allegations in a bid to discredit the polls amid reports that his campaign focuses on creating self-fulfilling prophecies to discredit the polls.

This comes in the wake of several recent surveys pointing to a Zanu-PF victory in the elections.