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PAP queries Zim Electoral Commission over ghost voters

PAP queries Zim Electoral Commission over ghost voters
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Monday March 31, 2008 [04:00]

THE Pan-African Parliament (PAP) election observer mission has written to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) seeking an explanation as to why there were over 8,450 ghost voters in a Harare constituency. Head of the mission, Marwick Khumalo said yesterday that the development could lead to a flawed election if it was not properly explained as to how the voters' roll for Harare North Constituency contained 8,450 names with their addresses traced to uninhabited plots.

PAP's observer mission to Saturday's elections wrote to ZEC following complaints by opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Khumalo said his team had written to ZEC chairperson George Chiweshe, seeking clarification on MDC allegations that the discovery was a vote rigging plot by ZANU-PF.

ZEC, Khumalo said, was yet to respond to the allegations, which the opposition feared could influence election results in favour of the ruling ZANU-PF.

"We received tips from some people that there was what they said was a plot to rig the election through the registration of ghost voters in Harare North Constituency. These voters were registered with addresses given in line with plots that they were, according to the details we have, allocated at an area called Hatcliffe and as a mission, we set out to check on the authenticity of these allegations," he said.

"We then discovered that the reports we received tallied with the situation on the ground. There was no evidence of any business that was happening on the ground in question. The area is empty. We have thus asked the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, justice George Chiweshe to look into the matter and respond to the allegations raised in the letter we wrote to him. We hope that there would be urgency in dealing with the issue."

According to Khumalo's letter, the Pan-African Parliament stated that most of the plots in question were "supposedly inhabited by large family numbers of voters who according to their names are seemingly unrelated."

"According to the report of the Delimitation Exercise for the 2008 harmonised Elections, Harare North Constituency comprises wards 18 and 42 with a register of 10,717 and 13,961 registered voters respectively making a total of 24,678 registered voters. ...It has been brought to our attention that out of the 24,678 registered voters more than 8,450 have been registered under block 081083...which is a deserted land with a few scattered wooden sheds," Khumalo wrote.

Khumalo further stated his observer team had discovered that 70 more people were registered under another empty piece of land measuring 300 square metres with the given addresses that did not seem detailed enough to allow verification.

"Taking into account that there have been a lot of complaints from opposition political parties regarding the fact that ZEC has printed approximately 50 per cent more ballot papers than the number of registered voters, the mission would like to request that ZEC clarifies these claims at the earliest of its convenience. Your clarification will certainly allay any suspicion and fears of any wrongdoing," stated Khumalo.

Labels: MARWICK KHUMALO, MDC, PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT

posted by MrK @ 3:42 AM