News24.com | Zim electoral body ‘gives in to opposition pressure’ – report
Zimbabwe’s electoral body has “finally” given the Nelson Chamisa led Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance access to a voters’ roll that has pictures, after a drawn-out battle, according to a report.
The privately-owned NewsDay quoted the MDC Alliance chief election agent, Jameson Timba, as saying that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) had finally come “to its senses” and issued his party with a copy of the new biometric voters’ roll (BVR) complete with pictures.
ZEC had initially rejected the opposition party’s calls for access to a voters’ roll that was complete with pictures.
ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba earlier this week told journalists that the electoral body had withdrawn pictures from the voters’ roll that it had initially given to political parties and other stakeholders for security reasons.
According to the Herald newspaper, the voters’ roll had been issued last week to political parties, interest groups and presidential candidates.
The voters’ roll was, however, without pictures, resulting in a prolonged disagreement with the country’s main opposition.
Zimbabweans were set to cast ballots on July 30 to choose a president, lawmakers and municipal councillors, in the country’s first elections since long-time ruler Robert Mugabe was ousted last year.
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