Uncovering Zimbabwe’s election obfuscation
23 days after the election, and still no results.
Did you know . . . ?
- There is no six day limit within which election results must be announced (contrary to what Deputy Minister of Information Bright Matonga said). But, the whole vote counting process shouldn’t take more than a few hours at each polling station, and the compilation of these subtotals shouldn’t take more than a few hours after that. And, after that, results are meant to be announced “forthwith,” not days or weeks after the election.
- Cabinet may have been dissolved, but mugabe’s ministers retain their positions until the next president is sworn in.
- The presidential returns would have been received by the Chief Election Officer with the House and Senate results – so there was no reason for them not to have been announced by now.
- The fact that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission can call for a recount more than 48 hours after election results have been announced seems to be an error of misparagraphing, an oversight by the drafters of the Electoral Act, not a deliberate provision of the law.
Read The inconvenient truth: A complete guide to the delay in releasing the results of Zimbabwe’s presidential poll, and find answers to all your questions on Zimbabwe’s 2008 election procedure.