Special voting chaos
The chaos of special voting for Zimbabwe’s 31 July harmonised election continued yesterday, and even into this morning.
Updates from Nehanda Radio suggested voting stretching into the early hours of this morning in some locations, due to delays in the opening of polling stations because voting materials came late.
- 16 July – 01:20 “Still at the polling station at Gweru D.A. only 333 ballots came to add to yesterday’s 107 out of 1700, now cops were threatening to lock in polling officers and were turning rowdy and the district commanding officer had to be called. Polling agents and election officers are just sitting inside awaiting further instructions from ZEC. I think today its Pungwe.” #NehandaCitizenReports
- 16 July - 01:07 “At Rusununguko Polling station, only 13 were able to cast their votes. 2 regular police details and 2 constabulary members. As I am talking now we are in the ZUPCO bus no ballot papers until now. Female police members crying foul and promised not 2 return 2morrow. A ZANU-PF MP Mr Matangaidze for Shurugwi south intended to give food to the police officers @ around 0100hours but they refused. Ndizvowo here izvi!” #NehandaCitizenReports
Feedback from our SMS subscribers told a similar story, for example:
- 16 July – 9am – My brother managed to vote this morning at Mabvuku Hall, Harare East
- 15 July – 8:30pm – Voting is too slow in Bindura. At Kambira polling station only 3 people have voted. Most ovters have never seen their envelopes. ZEC is just weak. People are seeing it as a way of delaying voters.
- 15 July – 6pm – Voting yet to start at Mberengwa East polling station.
It’s illegal to place bets on the outcome of the election. But anyone willing to place bets on whether the special voting chaos influences the AU summit on Friday – and gets them to push for a postponement of the election?