Mugabe changes law to allow policemen into polling booths

By Lance Guma
19 March 2008

An electoral amendment, passed by Robert Mugabe on Monday, sparked renewed fears that Zanu PF is determined to rig the March 29 election. State radio announced Tuesday that Mugabe amended electoral laws to allow policemen into polling stations to ‘assist’ illiterate people to vote. The opposition immediately slammed the amendment saying it violated agreements reached at the SADC brokered talks. Policemen were barred from being within 100 metres of a polling station because it was felt they would intimidate voters. Mugabe has however disregarded those concerns and declared that section 59 of the Electoral Act has been amended to ‘allow two electoral officers and a police officer on duty to assist semi- literate voters.’

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has meanwhile also announced that teachers for the first time will not be used as polling officers during the election. ZEC Chairman George Chiweshe says they will be using selected individuals from several local and public bodies. The move drew criticism from teachers unions who charged that the move suggests the commission has something to hide and wants to carefully control the voting process. The move is particularly worrying given estimates by the independent Zimbabwe Election Support Network that voters in Harare and Chitungwiza might have to be processed in just 9 seconds each, if the number of registered people per ward is calculated against the number of polling stations.

Many analysts are predicting chaos on election day with some of the concerns centering on possible water and electricity cuts. Mugabe tried to allay any such fears by promising the use of 5000 portable generators as back up. Doubts however remain over the sincerity of any such pledge, given that election day chaos in the urban centres would benefit Zanu PF who do not expect to pick up significant votes there. The rural areas remain Mugabe’s priority and his regime is likely to allocate more back- up generators there than in the urban centres.

Meanwhile the Zimbabwe Standard newspaper reports that Mugabe had a ‘frosty’ meeting with Solomon Mujuru over the retired general’s reported links with party rebel Simba Makoni. Mujuru, who called for the meeting, is said to have been eager to distance himself from the Makoni project only for Mugabe to say, ‘Okay, I have heard you. Is that all?’ The paper says the meeting ended abruptly and Mugabe’s presentation of the meeting to the state media suggested he remained sceptical of Mujuru’s allegiance. Talking about Mujuru’s denial Mugabe said, ‘that’s what he told me.’