Introduction : A Bill proposing to amend the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:3] was gazetted on 18 September 2017. Titled, the Electoral Amendment Bill, 2017, the Bill seeks to introduce amendments that specifically deal with the voter registration process. The proposed amendments largely cater for the introduction of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) system. In this position paper, ZESN discusses the proposed amendments considering the Constitutional principles that set out the minimum thresholds of free, fair, peaceful and credible elections…more

Introduction As Zimbabwe readies itself for the new polling station based and biometric voter registration for the 2018 harmonised elections, it is imperative that efforts and resources are channelled towards ensuring that all eligible voters are registered so that they are able to vote come 2018. The polling based voters’ roll and the implementation of the proposed Bio-metric Voter Registration system (BVR) requires that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) conduct a fresh voter registration process. An early registration process will go a long way in avoiding reportedly chaotic registration process that characterized 2013 harmonized elections…more

Civil Society in Zimbabwe is calling for a pathway to free, fair and credible elections premised on proper constitutionally aligned electoral laws, effective electoral administrative arrangements and a political environment that allows citizens to make free and informed choices on electoral processes…more

Introduction
At the time of writing this paper, Zimbabwe has entered the 4th stage of its new biometric voter registration (BVR) for the 2018 harmonised elections. The current and ongoing BVR blitz is expected to end on 19 December 2017. However, there is already conversation on the possibility of extending the BVR blitz owing to reportedly low voter registration turnout. Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) is fully behind the idea of extending the blitz to allow potential voters to register to vote. Thus, in light of the low voter turnout recorded to-date 4,173,897 by end of registration of 12 December 2018 according to Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) website), ZESN continues to call for concerted efforts and channelling of resources towards ensuring that all eligible voters are registered so that they able to vote come 2018…more

23 March 2018 – Following several requests by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network ZESN and other stakeholders for Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to release data, on the numbers of voters registered disaggregated by province and gender, the ZEC published the Biometric Voter Registration BVR data on its website in March 2018. Analysis of the data indicates that registration was generally high across all provinces. The BVR exercise resulted in higher numbers of youth and women registering as voters…read more

The 2013 Constitution provides for the overall framework for the conduct of elections in Zimbabwe, which must be managed by an independent Zimbabwe Election Commission that is subject to the Constitution and the other laws. The Constitution also provides for political rights – the right to vote and the right to be voted into office. Since adoption of the Constitution in 2013, Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR, have been calling for alignment of the Electoral Act to the Constitution. In some instances, ZESN and ZLHR have also been calling on the implementation of provisions of the Constitution…more

#WillToReform

1. Government needs to immediately align all electoral laws with the Constitution of Zimbabwe…more

The petitioners beseech the Parliament of Zimbabwe to consider and pass the relevant legislation that give life to tenets of the 2013 Constitution and implore the Executive to uphold the Constitution by ensuring that Zimbabwe’s Electoral Law is reviewed…more