Credibility of Zimbabwe elections compromised: ZESN

ZESN deployed over 7, 000 officials to every province and constituency in the country to observe the election.

Zanwa told a Press and Observers' meeting in Harare today that: "The observers noted that there was a suspicious and systematic effort to disenfranchise over a million urban voters."

ZESN said while 99.97 percent of rural voters were registered, only 67. 94 percent of the urban electorate was registered to participate in the harmonised election.

Over 750, 000 urban voters were missing from the voters’ roll compared to little numbers of the rural electorate.

On Election Day at 82 percent of urban polling stations, many potential voters were turned away and not permitted to vote for various reasons.

Some of the reasons included not appearing on the voters’ roll and turning up at the wrong ward for voting.

This was in contrast to rural areas were only 38 percent of polling stations turned away some potential voters.

“These factors alone fundamentally undermine the degree to which the results of the 2013 Harmonised elections can be considered to reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people,” said Zwana.

ZESN has called on the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and other observers to be objective in their evaluation of these elections and take into cognisance the pre-election issues, that have a bearing on the ability of citizens to genuinely choose their government.

“We urge observers to and all stakeholders to look below the surface as there are some grave issues that have arisen. All is not well,” Zanwa told the meeting.

Absence of violence was described as not the only yardstick to measure credibility of elections, but giving eligible voters the opportunity to register to vote among other elements of democratic practices.

Issues were raised about police officers stationed inside 83 percent of polling stations against the law.

At 8 percent polling stations, accounting of ballot boxes was not done as required by election regulations.

ZESN said it was concerned about critical factors such as inadequate preparations for the election, the flawed voters’ roll, limited voter education and the chaotic special voting.

The election support network has urged Zimbabweans not to take election results naively, but take into account events leading to the polls.

Counting of election results continues at various polling stations and full results are expected by end of the day.