MDC deputy spokesperson, Kurauone Chihwayi, said his party would produce a final report soon.
“Preliminary reports from areas such as Matabeleland South, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West indicate that some people are failing to go and register to vote because they are having to walk distances as long as 20 to 30km,” said Chihwayi.
Last week, Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede came under fire after he announced plans to restrict voter registration to districts instead of wards, a move analysts said would disenfranchise thousands of aspiring voters due to accessibility challenges.
Concerning the registration process itself, Chihwayi said that there were “not many complaints or hurdles reported”.
He bemoaned the intimidation of villagers by members of the military in areas such as Chiredzi and Mwenezi. He said that in these areas, people deemed to be anti-Zanu (PF) were being threatened with unspecified action for their political affiliation.
“The major concern is the involvement of the military in the country’s democratic processes. We have received reports that villagers viewed as anti-Zanu (PF) are being threatened by the military. This is a huge cause for concern as it flies in the face of guidelines governing the conduct of democratic elections,” said Chihwayi.
Chihwayi said that from the reports so far, issues of inter-party violence have not been mentioned.
“So far, we haven’t received reports of issues to do with violence. We are trying to monitor the situation and protect our members from issues of intimidation and violence but so far, we haven’t received reports of violence against our supporters,” said Chihwayi.
Post published in: News