Makoni South runs out of ballot papers after 2 hours

By Tererai Karimakwenda
29 March, 2008

From Manicaland the Tsvangirai MDC candidate and party provincial spokesperson Pishai Muchauraya reports that ballot papers ran out after about 2 hours in Makoni South, wards 29 and 30. Only 300 people had cast their votes by that time and about 1000 more were waiting in the queues.

Muchauraya said he approached ZEC officials and they told him that they had no powers to do anything to get more ballots. He explained that this area is an opposition stronghold where ZANU-PF got only 5 votes in the last parliamentary election. It is extremely suspicious that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission would send only 300 ballots to a constituency where the ruling party has no support.

There were also reports from a polling station in Victoria Falls that had no ballot papers at all – and that was still the case at lunchtime Saturday.