ZEC Says Registered Voters Population for August 23 Polls Above 6 Million - Voters Roll to Be Available to Candidates Before July 20

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has announced that the official registered voters population for August 23 polls stands at 6 619 690.

ZEC deputy spokesperson Rodney Kiwa was speaking during an observer briefing in Harare Saturday where he said close to seven million Zimbabweans registered to vote in the upcoming general elections.

"The voter population when we closed the voters' roll for the harmonized election was 6 619 690," Kiwa said.

The deputy chairperson also said the voters roll will be made available to nominated candidates before 20 July.

"The commission will comply with the mandatory requirement to issue at free of charge a copy of voters roll to each duly nominated candidate as soon as possible before 20th of July 2023 when all the legal challenges have been completed," Kiwa said.

Under the Electoral Act, ZEC is required to give candidates copies of the roll soon after confirmation of their candidature and it is now over two weeks since the nomination court sat on 21 June.

Kiwa also spoke about the voters roll inspection exercise which was carried out in May and he said out of the registered voters population, just above one million people physically inspected their names.

"There is no provision for a so-called independent audit of the voters roll in Zimbabwe unlike other countries for example Zambia, Kenya, South Africa.

Number of established inspection centers was 11 337, number of physical inspections came to an impressive 1 177 326, but there were those who used the *265# online platform and we cannot tell how many they were," Kiwa said.

This article originally appeared on New Zimbabwe

Photo: New Zimbabwe