ZEC readies Harare polling stations for Wednesday vote

Harare (New Ziana) – Polling stations in and around Harare were a hive of activity on Tuesday as the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) put the final touches to preparations for the country’s harmonised elections mid-week.

The country will hold combined presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on Wednesday, which government declared a public holiday to give voters an opportunity to cast their ballots.

In the capital, and elsewhere in the country, ZEC was busy on Tuesday distributing voting materials to 12 274 polling stations countrywide ahead of the vote, in which over six million voters registered to take part.

Some voting materials and infrastructure such as ballot boxes, training manuals for polling officers, copies of the Electoral Act and Constitution and polling booths had arrived at most polling stations visited in Southerton Constituency, while presiding officers were running around collecting the outstanding items.

This was also the situation at Rugare Government School and at Chitsere Primary School in Mbare.

At Southerton Primary School, a presiding officer for one of the five polling stations at the school, Judith Muzambi said the ballot boxes, the 18×50-page ballot books for the local government and presidential elections had arrived save for the ballot boxes and books for the national assembly election.

She expressed confidence that the polling stations would be ready to open at 7am, and admit the first voters to cast their ballots.

“We are still to receive a few items that include ballot boxes and books for the Parliamentary election. We have local authority and Presidential ballot books already here. We have 18 books for each category,” said Muzambi.

Only Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) and ZANU (PF) agents were visible at the polling stations visited by New Ziana, with CCC’s Rena Chitahwe at Southerton Primary School expressing concerns about the materials that had yet to arrive at the polling stations.

ZANU (PF)’s Elizabeth Karambakuwa, however, said she was happy with the preparations and expressed confidence that voting will start on time at 7am on Wednesday.

New Ziana