ZEC made the statement to The Zimbabwean last weekend at the Mashonaland East Provincial Agricultural Show that.
“As an organisation there was no way we could know that a person on the voters’ roll had passed on unless his relatives notified us. All that was required was for the relatives to bring the deceased’s death records and national identity particulars. We would then delete them from the voters’ roll. As officials we have no mandate to delete people from the voters’ roll without the required proof from relatives of the deceased.
“So, it was not our fault that names of deceased people featured on the voters’ roll. It was also not true that some names were scandalously removed from the voters’ roll with a political motivation,” said a ZEC official.
She defended ZEC as an independent institution doing its best to conduct fair elections.
“Do not forget that March 2008 elections were free and fair as results were displayed at polling centres as soon as counting was completed. The whole process was done under the watchful eye of observers and polling agents from all stakeholders. Wasn’t that transparent enough?”
Quizzed about the controversy which surrounded the subsequent June Presidential Election run-off, the official said.
“It was one of those shortcomings of an organisation which relied on funding from interested parties. If ZEC was well funded from politically neutral sources, there would be no way its arm could be twisted by anyone. ZEC is operating like a parastatal funded by the government.”
Post published in: News