THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) says it will consider another voter registration exercise after statistics showed a 2% increase in registered voters from 2018.
On Tuesday, Zec released a statement stating that as at
June 10, the country’s registered voters numbered 5 804 975, a 2% increase on 5
695 706 from 2018.
Zec spokesperson Jasper Mangwana yesterday told NewsDay
that the commission would consider conducting another voter registration blitz
before the polls.
“The voters roll is a changing document. The commission has
also been removing the deceased and adding new voters. We removed around 26 000
and 47 000 at some point,” he said.
“As usual, Zec will definitely consider another registration
blitz. We really feel for the rural community because they’re very far away
from our offices. But people have to wait and hear with the commission. We will
share our plan towards 2023.”
Electoral watchdogs said it was imperative that Zec carries
out another voter registration exercise before elections expected next year.
The poor turnout of new voters flies in the faces of both
the ruling Zanu PF party and the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change
(CCC)’s ambitious plans to attract five million and six million new voters,
respectively, for the 2023 polls.
Zec said females constitute 53,8% and males 46,1% of the
registered voters.
The watchdogs said the 2% increase points to high voter
apathy in the country.
Electoral watchdogs said Zec’s figures were disappointing
because they showed that young people in the country, who constitute the
majority of the population, are not interested in the elections.
“It’s shocking that the registration blitzes that were done
by Zec have not achieved the desired results. The commission needs to go back
to the drawing board and devise campaigns which can encourage youths to
participate in electoral processes assuming that they constitute a large number
of potential voters. Remember, Zec is targeting at least two million new
youthful voters,” Zimbabwe Election Support Network chairperson Andrew Makoni
said.
“It appears elections don’t mean anything to our youths and
it must be established why. Elections have not changed anything or transformed
their lives. Our successive governments have not delivered and the youth are
expressing their displeasure through apathy. As stakeholders we must address
the root cause of this.”
Statistics also show that Harare Metropolitan province has
the highest number of registered voters at 952 520, while Matabeleland South
province has the lowest figure of 267 308.
“Our greatest undoing has been an indifferent youth population
which is not forthcoming. Unfortunately, this is the biggest demographic group.
There is need for another round of a voter registration blitz and hopefully
there will be improved service delivery from Zec. Previous exercises were marred by a lot of
irregularities. It’s also incumbent upon the civil society to complement Zec’s
efforts,” Zimbabwe Election Advocacy Trust director Ignatius Sadziwa said.
Political analyst Kudakwashe Munemo said: “I note that
there are about nine million people that remain untapped. Political parties
intending to win elections must focus on mobilising between 2,2 and 3,2 million
citizens to register to vote. Civil society organisations also have a huge role
to play in providing civic and political education.”
CCC deputy secretary for elections Ellen Shiriyedenga said
massive under registration of young voters clearly indicates that there were
serious challenges to voter mobilisation efforts.
“This can also be perceived as a deliberate attempt to
suppress the youth because there are no mechanisms to ensure that they’re
registered. Most young people were not aware of the registration exercise,
while others did not have identity documents. Under the circumstances, another
voter registration blitz is very essential. If it’s not done, the outcome of
the 2023 elections will not represent the majority,” Shiriyedenga said.
Zanu PF party commissar Mike Bimha said: “I haven’t seen
the figures yet, so I wouldn’t comment on things that I didn’t see.” Newsday
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