A Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) delegation led by chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba, is in Belarus to observe that country’s 2025 presidential election.
The observation
mission is part of a broader effort by international organisations to monitor
the election and promote democratic practices.
Speaking to the
media after touring some polling stations, Justice Chigumba said she was
satisfied with the security features of the ballot papers.
“We were also
impressed by the security features which were demonstrated to us on the ballot
boxes, because we were keen to see the ballots that had been cast in the
pre-voting period, where they were kept, and in each polling station that we
visited.
“They showed us
a special ballot box for the pre-voting ballot papers, then we were actually
shown the security features. So what we found was, firstly, the watermark on
the actual ballot paper, that’s a security feature, and on the actual ballot
boxes, there is a signature on one side, and there is a seal, a wax seal. So we
were quite satisfied with the security features on the actual ballot boxes.”
Voters began
casting their ballots at 8am Belarusian time yesterday in the country’s first
presidential vote since Incumbent Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s
landslide victory in 2020.
Yesterday was
the designated election day. However, preliminary voting started on January 21
and ended on January 25.
Preliminary
voting is for people who are unable to vote on election day for various reasons
and they voted between January 21 and 25.
Voting in the
Belarus Presidential Elections ended at 8pm last night and counting of results
of the preliminary voting began immediately. Herald
