AU: GRAVE CONCERN OVER VOTING

AU expresses “grave concerns” over voting

The African Union has expressed “grave concerns” with the manner in which the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Registrar General of Voters conducted themselves in the run-up to the July 31 harmonised elections.In a preliminary statement today in Harare, two days after voting ended, the AU Election Observation Mission said the voters’ roll was availed to stakeholders late and did not give voters the chance to inspect it.

“While Sections 20 and 21 of the Electoral Act requires ZEC to provide a copy of the Voters’ Roll within ‘a reasonable’ period of time, the Mission notes that the final Voters’ roll was made publicly available two days before the election—rather late for meaningful inspection and verification by voters, parties and candidates to take place,” said the AU EOM. He mission pointed out that reasons for the delay should have been publicised to “ease the anxieties that have been consistently expressed by several stakeholders”.

Added the AU: “The Mission continues to express grave concerns about the matter of the Voters’ Roll. Despite assertions by the RGV that hard copies of the voter roll were availed to all political parties, other than one political party, observers have found no eveidence that hard copies were generally available to all who required them and who by law should them.”

The mission also voiced “serious concerns” raised by some stakeholders who said there was duplication and omission of voter names, saying that “must not be allowed”, as it was “casting doubt s on possible outcomes of the elections”.

“These concerns about the voters’ roll are critical in determining the degree of disenfranchisement or disqualification of legitimate voters from voting,” said the AU.The mission added that some ballot books had missing pages and were not allocated serial numbers, and said it was disturbed by the “high incidence of voters who were turned away at polling stations” .

“The late publication of the final list of polling stations, barely 48 hours to the opening of polls, may have contributed significantly to the high number of voters who were turned away,” added the observer team. It also noted that a high number of voters was assisted to vote, and accused the media of being polarised. The AU however urged contesting political parties to resort to the courts to settle their disputes. The AU dispatched a 60-member observation team ahead of the polls.