MDC-T poll fears unfounded: ZEC

THE number of biometric voter registration centres allocated to provinces will not determine the number of polling stations in next year’s harmonised elections, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has said.

ZEC chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said the result of the biometric voter registration exercise expected to start soon would determine the number of polling stations to be allocated to provinces.

Justice Makarau said this last week during a high-level meeting between political parties that contested the 2013 general elections and senior media practitioners.

She was responding to claims by MDC-T which queried why Harare and Bulawayo, its perceived strongholds, had been allocated fewer voter registration centres.

MDC-T director of elections Mr Murisi Zwizwai said his party was surprised that the two metropolitan provinces had fewer voting centres compared to rural provinces.

“The number of polling stations will be determined by the voter registration exercise. The number of voter registration centres was mainly determined using the delimitation exercise carried out in 20072008,”’ said Justice Makarau.

“We will accept your representations in writing as long as they are based on facts, objective and scientific reasoning. You should tell us why we should increase registration centres in one province and where we will reduce the centres given the number of kits available,” said Justice Makarau.

At one point Justice Makarau had to caution Mr Zwizwai against baseless arguments.

This was after the politician insisted on the need for them to reconvene and discuss the same subject.

Justice Makarau said they were free to go and consult their political parties before submitting in writing issues they felt ought to be addressed.

ZEC will only make a determination on whether to reconvene after receiving the concerns in writing.

But Mr Zwizwai insisted that there was need to reconvene.

“I will not want to engage into an argument with you Mr Zwizwai. This is a highlevel meeting,” said Justice Makarau. She urged the politician to behave. ZEC deputy chief elections officer Mr Utloile Silaigwana said factors that would determine polling stations included population density, settlement patterns, expansiveness of provinces and districts and Zimbabwe Statistics Agency 2012 census projection, among other issues.

Zimbabwe Development Party leader Mr Kisinoti Mukwazhe complained the Political Parties Finance Act disfranchised other political parties from accessing State funding as only Zanu-PF and MDC-T were entitled to funding.

ZEC chief elections officer Mrs Constance Chigwamba told Mr Mukwazhi that his concerns were misdirected as the election management body was not a lawmaking entity.