The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has admitted that the mobile voter registration process is running slowly, blaming the holdup on power outages and cloudy weather that interferes with its solar charging methods, rendering the registration equipment ineffective.
This statement from ZEC comes after several potential voters have voiced concerns that the registration procedure was proceeding ‘too slowly,’ a scenario which would likely discourage some people who were impatient to wait in line.
A CITE news crew witnessed this in some of the registration centres in Bulawayo, as people complained about waiting too long in the queue.
An organisation called Project Vote 263 which has been moving around urging young people to register to vote, also noted that the delays in the registration process would demotivate youth who are already disengaged in national processes.
In response to these concerns, ZEC issued a statement on Tuesday informing the public that it was currently experiencing technical difficulties at some of its registration centres.
“This is due to shortages of electricity affecting the charging of the BVR kits. The situation is also worsened by the cloudy weather which affects the solar-powered BVR kits,” claimed the electoral management.
“ZEC assures the public that every eligible citizen will be registered and the commission will do its best to discharge its mandate.”
Meanwhile, an online pressure group called Team Pachedu claimed the delays at registration centres were deliberate to slow down the numbers and said a prompt court application was required to contest ZEC’s purposeful slowness.
“An urgent court application must be made to challenge the deliberate go slow ZEC. ZEC must also be compelled to extend the voter registration blitz to the end of March.
We hope political parties take action,” said the watchdog.
