All Set for Zimbabwe’s Watershed Polls

All is set for Zimbabwe’s watershed elections, with about 9,000 polling stations across the country now ready to handle the first voters.

More than 90,000 polling officers have been deployed to 8,998 polling stations around the country as over 5.9 million Zimbabweans prepare to vote in a crucial poll to elect a president, House of Assembly, senate and local government representatives.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which has been accused by opposition parties and civic society groups of using a sham voters’ roll and military personnel to run the elections, said the majority of the polling officers were teachers.

The ZEC said it also recruited polling officers from other government departments and parastatals as available teachers fall short of the required manpower.

At least 10 polling officers were deployed to each of the 8,998 polling stations around the country.

This will be the third time Zimbabwe will be using Southern African Development Community (SADC) electoral guidelines to conduct its polls.

The first time was in the March 2005 parliamentary elections and then in senatorial polls held the same year.

The SADC Principles and Guidelines on the Conduct of Democratic Elections, agreed to by regional leaders at a summit in Mauritius in 2004, force member states to ensure they hold free and fair polls.

Observers from SADC and 46 other foreign bodies are among organizations invited by the Zimbabwean government to monitor the elections.

The main contest will be a three-way race pitting President Robert Mugabe against long-term rival and main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, and former finance minister, Simba Makoni.

Makoni is mounting a late challenge against his former boss after he was expelled from the ruling party, ZANU PF, in February for contravening a party rule that forbids a member from running against another in a poll.

Also on offer will be some 210 House of Assembly seats, 60 senatorial seats, and close to 2,000 local government wards.

ZANU PF has already won two of the House of Assembly seats and more than 390 local government wards after its candidates were unopposed at the close of the nomination on 22 February.

Source African Press Agency

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