ZEC Registeres 4.8million, Extends BVR Exercise

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commision has to date registered 4 879 482, against the targeted 7 million, a figure they today announced to have been overly ambitious and now unattainable, while they were overally impressed by the current turn out. 

(ZEC) embarked on a national Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise during the period running from 14 September 2017 to 19 December 2017, and its supposed to have been closed by today end of the business to pave way for next stages. 

 

“This exercise resulted in a provisional total of 4 879 482 voters being registered countrywide. During the same period, the Registrar General also embarked on a nationwide exercise issuing national identity cards, birth and deaths certificates as well as other documents related to civil registration.”

said the ZEC Deputy Chairman Mr Emmanuel Magade.

Mr Magade also announced that they will be extending the BVR exercise to further dates as they seek to accommodate more  Zimbabweans and help them exercise their right to vote towards the next election.

The voter and civil registration exercises were initially not synchronized resulting in some people being left out of the voter registration blitz. After observing this challenge and representations from various stakeholders on the BVR exercise, the Commission is of the same view as stakeholders that a mop-up exercise be conducted to afford every Zimbabwean an opportunity to register to vote in order for them to exercise their political rights.

The Commission is also cognizant of the fact that there was also another category of people, the so-called “Aliens,” who were adversely affected before the intervention of courts of law who should be granted an equal opportunity.

While they may have targetted 7 million registered voters, ZEC announced that they have surpassed all the last national targets including the referendum which saw a maximum of 3.2 million Zimbabweans contributing in the exercise, hence the new figures inching towards the 5 million is record-breaking.

Responding to questions on data security, ZEC said that they had finalized this contentious issue with all political parties and reached an amicable decision.

On the upcoming methodology, ZEC recommended a total number of 446 kits be deployed,  While the Commission will deploy 87 kits at static centres that include Provinces, Districts and Sub -District Offices. The remaining 359 kits will be roving and they will publish the itinerary.

In addition the Commission wishes to advise the public that persons whose national IDs are inscribed “ALIEN” and have long Birth Certificates that indicate that: • They were born in or outside Zimbabwe but either of their parents are citizen of Zimbabwe or they were born in Zimbabwe and one or both of their parents are citizens of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) country and that they were ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe on the day of the publication of the constitution  on 22 May 2013 can register during the mop up exercise
.