ZEC releases V11 voting data

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has availed consolidated statistics for the Presidential elections, including data from all V11 forms.

Zanu-PF candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa won 50,8 percent of the vote ahead of Mr Nelson Chamisa of the MDC-Alliance (44,3 percent).

The elections management body said the public was free to make enquiries with ZEC on the data, or challenge it in court.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail yesterday, ZEC acting chief elections officer Mr Utloile Silaigwana said the authenticated data was in digital format.

"We now have all aggregated data for the elections and we will make it available for collection. The data has all the information on the harmonised elections and it is in digital CD format.

"What is important to note is that this information will be a reflection of all the V11 forms from all the 10 000-plus polling stations we had. This means the information will contain all the Presidential material at every polling station in every ward, every constituency and every province.

"This information is easily analysable and searchable. We are inviting all the parties, in particular their chief agents, to come and collect the CDs."

Mr Silaigwana said the electoral body welcomes any objections of the data.

"Everyone is free to make a complaint if they wish to because the data is easily accessible and analysable," he said.

Consolidated data for the National Assembly and local authority elections will be availed later.

"We have decided to start with the Presidential elections first, but we are also in the process of compiling consolidated data of the V11 forms for the National Assembly and local authority seats in due course. You will appreciate that with the local authority, the data is humongous and it takes a bit more time," he said.

In a statement, ZEC said electronic copies of the Presidential election were now available.

"The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission would like to advise presidential candidates or their chief elections agents that they can now come and collect electronic copies of the 2018 presidential election results at the ZEC head office's public relations department.

"These results will also be published in the press and on the ZEC website www.zec.org.zw, where other stakeholders can access them."

On Friday, US State Department spokesperson Mr Heather Nauert said Washington welcomed ZEC's commitment to providing the amalgamated data.

"The United States welcomes the commitment by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release comprehensive election results in a form that provides full transparency. The United States will continue to review the data collected by its own observation teams, by international observation missions, and by local observers to make a complete assessment of the overall election."

Political parties had polling agents who signed off results at polling stations, as well agents at ward, constituency and provincial levels to validate the primary figures to ensure transparency.

Mr Chamisa has alleged the Presidential election was rigged but has failed to give evidence to support his claim.

The MDC-Alliance leader claims the data on V11 forms does not tally with declared results, but has not provided any evidence to back this.

Some of senior opposition officials have been circulating fake news on the election results.

On Wednesday, Mr Chamisa's spokesperson Dr Nkululeko Sibanda circulated a document purporting that voters in Chiredzi North – where the MDC-Alliance failed to field a candidate – numbered 30 688, yet the constituency voter population is actually 44 233.