Zec to start new voter registration exercise

voter registration exercise once President Mugabe assents to then ew constitution, but says funding for the process has to be released now.

Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said after meeting with fellow commissioners to plan for the new voter registration and to exchange experiences on the on-going exercise that ends tomorrow, the new exercise would be provided for in the new constitution.

“We were drawing lessons in order to structure the next exercise,” she said.

“The new exercise should commence after publication of the new constitution.

We presume that would be very soon because both houses have passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill.”

Justice Makarau said preparations for the new 30-day exercise had begun with at least US$21 million required.

She said under the new exercise, voter registration would take place in every ward and voter educators would be deployed ahead of the registration exercise.

For the harmonised elections expected next month, Zec requires US$106 million.

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Zec commissioners would meet Registrar General of Voters Mr Tobaiwa Mudede on Monday to plan the new exercise.

Prospective voters yesterday called upon Zec to improve on its service delivery for the mobile voter registration which ends tomorrow.

A survey by The Herald showed that long queues continue to characterise most of the voter registration centres in Harare as people rushed to beat the deadline.

At Magamba Hall in Warren Park, residents from the suburb, Westlea and Dzivaresekwa said there was a need for more registration centres.

Mrs Gladys Matanhire of Warren Park said despite the challenges she would not stop trying to get registered.

“I am determined to ensure that I register because it is only through this process that I can concretely have a say in the affairs of this country,” she said.

Zec officials this week said they realised that the mobile voter registration was slow and could not capture all those interested in voting in the harmonised elections.