Andrew
Debra Matabvu
MORE than 80 000 new voters were registered on the voters roll during the recently concluded first phase of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) blitz.
Harare Metropolitan Province had the highest number of registrants after 28 929 virgin voters presented themselves for registration, followed by Mashonaland West Province which had 7 907.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission show that in Mashonaland East Province, 7 808 new voters were registered, while Manicaland and Midlands Provinces had 6 839 and 6 591 new registrants respectively.
In Bulawayo Province, 6 541 new voters were registered, while in Masvingo Province there were 6 440 registrants.
Mashonaland Central Province (4 401), Matabeleland South (3 824) and North (3 132) accounted for the rest of the new voters.
The first phase of the voter registration blitz ran between February 1 and 28.
ZEC spokesperson Commissioner Joyce Kazembe said:
“From ZEC’s perspective, the voter registration blitz was well planned and started generally well.
“We deployed 630 registration teams countrywide with three teams positioned in each of the 210 constituencies.
“In addition, experienced health personnel were added to each sub-team, to take temperatures and sanitise potential registrants.
“At least one or two police officers to provide security to people and equipment were always present.
“Each team was expected to spend three days at each venue, before moving on to another area within the constituency, to provide voter registration services.”
She said some registration teams faced movement challenges occasioned by incessant rains in low-lying areas where gravel roads were waterlogged.
“Such conditions challenged the movement of the ZEC BVR teams in quite a number of low lying areas, and also affected access to the ZEC BVR teams by prospective registrants.
“Added to the above-mentioned challenges, quite a number of youths, who had initially been one of ZEC’s target groups, had not had the chance to acquire identity cards from the Registrar General’s offices.
“The latter had experienced challenges in getting the inputs needed for the issuing of identity cards.
“You will recall that ZEC had postponed the December 2021 previously planned voter registration exercise awaiting the issuing of identity cards to the youths who had attained 18 years and above after the 2018 elections.
“ZEC hopes the issuing of identity cards will have improved when the second BVR exercise resumes from April 11 to 30, 2022.”
Online Reporter