The polling stations were published on Wednesday by ZEC’s
Chief Elections Officer Mr Utloile Silaigwana in terms of the Electoral Act.
Last month ZEC published a list containing 11 501 polling
stations, but indicated that some of them were composite and would be split to
ensure that the 1 000 voters’ population threshold per polling station is
maintained.
Resultantly, the latest list contains an additional 869
polling stations.
“It is hereby notified that in terms of section 51(3) of
the Electoral Act that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has identified 12 370
polling stations where polling will take place on Wednesday 23 August 2023 in
the Harmonised Elections,” Mr Silaigwana said in a statement.
Mr Silaigwana said the polling stations would open from 7am
to 7pm for the purpose of electing the State President, members of the National
Assembly and councillors. The Electoral Act requires ZEC to publish the
schedule of polling stations at least three weeks before polling day in a
newspaper circulating in the constituency concerned with the final list being
published on polling day.
Meanwhile, ZEC will now accept postal votes until midday on
August 20, just three days before the physical harmonised election voting on
August 23.
This is a departure from the past where ZEC closed receipt
of postal ballots, 14 days before the actual voting day, and has been caused by
delays in the printing of ballots due to numerous litigations effected since
June 21 when the nomination court sat.
The extension was made by Mr Utloile Silaigwana with the
approval of the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi
Ziyambi, through Statutory Instrument 140A of 2023 cited as Electoral
(Alteration of Period) Regulations, 2023.
Postal voting is provided for under Section 71 of the
Electoral Act, which states that registered voters who on polling day will be
unable to vote at their polling stations because they will be on official duty
are eligible for postal voting. Herald
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