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Mr Utoile Silaigwana

Felex Share, Harare Bureau
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has invited local and foreign organisations and individuals wishing to observe the harmonised elections slated for July 30 to accredit.

This comes as registration of voters for the polls closed yesterday in line with the amendments made to the Electoral Act. Zec said the applications for observers should be directed to the electoral body’s chief elections officer Mr Utoile Silaigwana by July 26. “Applications are hereby invited from all persons and organisations wishing to observe the harmonised elections processes, the conduct of polling on polling day and counting and collation of ballots,” Mr Silaigwana said in a statement yesterday.

“Application shall be considered for accreditation from the following persons: (a) individuals representing local organisations and eminent persons from within Zimbabwe who have applied to be accepted as observers and (b) individuals representing foreign organisations and foreign eminent persons who have applied to be accepted as observers and (c) individuals representing bodies that exercise functions similar to those of the Commission and that have been invited by the Commission to observe the elections and (d) individuals representing local organisations and eminent persons from within Zimbabwe who have been invited by the Minister responsible for Justice and Legal Affairs to observe the elections and (e) individuals representing foreign organisations and foreign eminent persons who have been invited by the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs and International Trade to observe the elections.”

Mr Silaigwana said applications made by an organisation or Minister should state the names of the individuals whom they wished to have accredited.
“All applications will receive notification as to whether or not their applications have been successful,” he said. “Applications must be received at Zec head office no later than 26 July.”

Mr Silaigwana said local observers would pay $10 accreditation fees, while observers from Africa would part with $20. Those from outside Africa would pay $100 and observers from foreign embassies in Zimbabwe would be charged $50.

Local journalists working for foreign media houses would pay $50 while Zimbabwe media practitioners accredited with the Zimbabwe Media Commission would part with $10. Journalists from Africa would pay $20.

“Any local or foreign journalist or observer who was accredited to observe the Biometric Voter Registration process and is in possession of their accreditation card will only be required to pay a nominal fee of $2 in order to be issued with a new accreditation card,” Mr Silaigwana said.

Voter registration for the July 30 elections closed yesterday and those who register beginning today will be considered for the 2023 polls. “Amendment of Section 26A of the Electoral Act, registration of voters now close two (2) days after proclamation,” said Zec. “It, therefore, means that the registration of voters for the purposes of the 2018 harmonised elections shall close on 1 June 2018.

“However, those that are going to register after the cut-off date will be considered for future elections.”

About 5,5 million people have registered as voters under the Biometric Voter Registration.

President Mnangagwa proclaimed the election date on Wednesday, saying the nomination courts will sit at various court buildings, rural and urban council offices across the country on June 14 beginning at 10am. The proclamation came after the amendment of the Electoral Act which brought a number of changes to the electoral processes.

The amendments empower Zec to establish additional polling stations in areas with larger populations for the convenience of the electorate.

The changes also gave the visually impaired a right to choose persons to assist them to vote. The Electoral Amendment Act encompasses a Code of Conduct that binds various interested players during the election period.