By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) said the recently held Bulilima Rural District Council (RDC) Wards 1, 14 and 16 showed that Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Civil Society Organisations and political parties should do more civic and voter education to encourage voters to vote in municipal by-elections.
In its recommendations, ZESN, a think tank which promotes democratic elections in the country, concluded that there was voter apathy.
“ZESN accentuates the significance of all elections and encourages voters to take part in all electoral processes.
“Local authority elections are imperative in that, they are a platform for citizens to elect leaders responsible for service delivery in their relevant localities,” ZESN said in a statement.
“ZESN recommends the following, based on its observations: · ZEC, CSOs, and political parties should do more civic and voter education to encourage voters to vote in municipal by-elections.”
ZESN observed the Bulilima Rural District Council (RDC) Wards 1, 14 and 16 as well as observed at the Ward Collation Centres in the local authority by-elections.
The Bulilima RDC by-elections were held to fill in the vacancies which arose after the resignation of Ward 1 and 14 councillors Tonny Mlotshwa (ZANU PF) and Ntungamili Dube (ZANU PF) and the death of Ward 16 representative Delani Mabhena (ZANU PF).
It emerged that the By-elections results CCC won two seats in the Bulilima Ward 1 and Ward 16 while ZANU-PF won a seat in the Bulilima Ward 14 by-election.
“Consistent with past voting trends the voter turnout for all the wards, though it passed the 50% threshold on average, was nevertheless a reduction from the 2018 Harmonised election turnout,” ZESN noted.
Redirected and turned away voters ZESN observed that most of the turned-away voters at the observed polling stations were not on the voters’ rolls as they were registered voters in other Wards.
For example, by end of polling, about 52 people had been turned away because their names were not on the voters’ roll.
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