The council seat fell vacant following the death of Bakuri Kufakunavo of Zanu (PF). “ZESN observers commend the peaceful and professional conduct in the local authority by- election by the electorate and the election management body,” said ZESN in a statement.
The by-election was the sixth to be held this year. “At five of the 6 polling stations in the ward where ZESN observers observed the opening, the stations opened on time with all materials in place. Voting procedures were smooth although a number of voters were turned away due to various reasons,” it added.
The election watchdog said poor voter education might have contributed to the turning away of pollers, some of whom also failed to vote because they did not have identity cards, went to the wrong wards or brought party agents to assist them to vote.
Voting slips, widely used by voters who were not on the roll in last year’s general elections and offset accusations of cheating, were minimally used, said ZESN which deployed five accredited observers.
“This is a welcome development as party agents and observers had complained in the past that they were unable to verify the authenticity of the voting slips,” added the organisation.
Tinopiwa Chatukuta of Zanu (PF) won the by-election with 852 votes and was followed by MDC-T’s Namatirai Chinyakata (318), while the National Constitutional Assembly’s Tarwirei Mugadza polled 33.
A total 17 votes were rejected.
“ZESN applauds ZEC for affording the eligible voters of Gutu South Ward 24 an opportunity to elect another councillor as provided for in the legislative framework governing the conduct of by-elections in Zimbabwe,” said ZESN.
Post published in: News