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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has extended by a month the mobile Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) programme which ended last month.

Following the extension, registration will start next week on Monday ending on February 12.

Zec commissioner Dr Qhubani Moyo yesterday confirmed the programme’s extension.

He said the electoral body want more people to participate in electoral processes.

“The commission has resolved to extend the BVR programme from 10 January to February 8. The commission in total registered 4,9 million people during the previous registration programme. The Commission wants to do a mop up exercise to ensure that those who had missed out in the first phases of the campaign can be able to register,” said Dr Moyo.

He said Zec was cognisant of the fact that there were developments such as the ruling by the High Court last year which enabled ‘aliens’ to register as voters.

“The commission also acknowledges that those that were previously known as aliens who were not allowed to register before are allowed to register on production of birth certificates and their identity documents,” said Dr Moyo.

“That means there are many people who were left out because they did not have registration documents. For instance, the cumulative number of people who were turned away by the time we closed on December 19 was 82 722. So it’s very important that these people are given a second opportunity to regularise their documents and they also register.”

He commended the Government for releasing funds to enable the commission to extend the registration programme.

“The commission appreciates the kind of support that it is getting from Government to ensure that there is timeous implementation of important programmes like the BVR programme. We’re appreciative that the Government is playing its part so that the elections are prepared for very well in time,” Dr Moyo said. — @nqotshili.