CSOs Respond To ZEC Claims That They Were Funding Registered Voters To Re-register
Civil society organisations (CSOs) Friday criticised the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for claiming that rights groups were funding registered voters to re-register multiple times to discredit the ongoing voter registration exercise.
ZEC chairperson Priscilla Chigumba told a local television station, ZTN, on Wednesday that the electoral management body’s system had picked up several multiple voter registrants sponsored by civic groups.
But Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiCZ) spokesperson Obert Masaraure told NewsDay Weekender that the ZEC allegations were meant to frustrate potential voters and the voter registration awareness campaigns.
Masaraure who is the president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) said:
The commission and government officials should not bad-mouth patriotic citizens who are working hard to strengthen our democracy. The coalition is moving in to co-ordinate voter mobilisation among its membership to avoid duplication of their great efforts.
We salute all citizens who are working around the clock to mobilise citizens to register to vote. Our democracy is strengthened when the majority of our people are afforded the right to vote.
Residents Associations Coalition for Electoral Reforms spokesperson Marvelous Khumalo said government allegations were shocking adding that the government should be appreciating CSOs as they are complementing its efforts.
Project Vote 263 chairperson Allan Chipoyi said the biometric voter registration (BVR) system does register a name that has been already registered.
He also said CSOs were only providing transport for people who wanted to register to vote, adding “people are never rewarded for registering to vote. No one pays them.”
More: NewsDay Zimbabwe
