'Voters roll has no pictures to protect voters'

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) says the exclusion of photographs of voters on the voters roll is meant to protect the privacy of the electorate.

Briefing journalists on the electoral progress in Harare today ahead of the July 30 elections, ZEC Chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba said the voters roll  released is final and authentic, adding that the decision to exclude photographs of voters on the voters roll was arrived at to protect the privacy of the electorate.

She also said the commission has decentralised distribution of the voters roll across the country and has urged all political parties to reign in their supporters and desist from hate speech and political violence.

Justice Chigumba said applications for postal votes will close on the 28th of June, adding that the process is only for those who have registered under the biometric voter registration exercise and qualify to do so.

On the issue of the disturbance which rocked the launch of the multi-party liaison committee, the ZEC chief said the coming together of the political parties is by consensus and if there is no agreement, the committee can be disbanded.

ZEC has undertaken to brief the media on a weekly basis on the latest developments ahead of next month's harmonised elections.