ZEC ready to conduct harmonised polls next week

Harare (New Ziana)-The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is ready to hold harmonised elections set for next Wednesday as it finalises the printing of ballot papers to be used for the polls, an official has said.

ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba said this on Wednesday while briefing observers on preparations for the harmonised polls.

Chigumba said ZEC has also procured all the material to be used for the elections, with some having already been delivered to polling stations countrywide.

“At the moment, we are finalising the printing of ballots and preparing to distribute them to provinces where they will be deployed to districts and to individual polling stations,” she said.

“The commission has procured all essential election material and has delivered 80 percent of them to the provinces under police escort,” she said.

Chigumba said contrary to social media reports, postal voting by some 17 000 officials at the country’s embassies and those on international missions had been delayed by cases which have been pending at the electoral court.

“We expect to receive postal votes by the 20th of August,” she said.

She said a total of 1 500 polling officers were recruited for the country’s 12 374 voting centres.

“I would like to inform you that the commission is ready to conduct the 2023 harmonised elections. I would like to appreciate the Treasury for funding almost 100 percent of our requirements.

“We expect our elections to be free, fair and credible if what happened with the chiefs’ election is anything to go by,” she said.

The country holds Presidential, Parliamentary and local government elections next Wednesday to choose new leaders and representatives for the next five years.

New Ziana