ials sitting on desks, there was no one else in sight.
And this was at the height of polling day in a by-election called to replace the late incumbent MP, Tinos Rusere last Saturday. Zanu (PF)’s retired brigadier general Livingstone Chineka won that poll with 11,152 votes to 1,117 for Nicholas Shanga of the United Peoples Party and 622 for Lameck Batirai of the Zimbabwe People’s Democratic Party. At least 50,000 were registered to vote. The MDC boycotted the election.
The independent Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), which fielded 33 accredited observers in the by-election, reported that polling was characterized by a low voter turnout and by mid-day, most polling stations were deserted.
“The by-election was generally peaceful and calm,” said an election synopsis from ZESN. “ZESN is however concerned by the unusually high number of assisted voters at some polling stations. Of note is Chigwagwa Primary School where 68 out of 451 voters were assisted to vote. At Gumbu Primary School 50 voters were assisted out of a total of 387 voters.”
At a seedy bar at the growth point, no one seemed interested in polling.
Asked whether he was going to vote, a bar tender turned his wrinkled face and stared in amazement. “To vote?” he asked. “For what? For Zanu (PF)?”
“The need for comprehensive and continuous mobile voter registration process coupled with the mobile issuance of national identity cards cannot be overemphasized if Zimbabwe is to achieve an inclusive and participatory electoral process,” ZESN said.
14.6.2007
0:00
To vote? For what?
ZAKA - It was 11 o'clock in the morning and heavy traffic was already clogging Jerera Growth Point. Horns were honking, bus conductors shouting and dust was flying everywhere. Yet the nearby polling station was cool, clean and almost deserted. With the exception of five bored and idle election offic