'Tsvangirai in panic mode,' says Prof Jonathan Moyo

MDC-T is desperately trying to prolong voter registration beyond the 30-days minimum constitutional requirement after realising that it was failing to get its supporters to register, political analyst and Zanu-PF politburo member Professor Jonathan Moyo the Herald reported.

The 30-days intensive voter registration, provided for by the Sixth Schedule Part 3 Section 6(3) of the new Constitution, began on May 23 with the publication of the new Constitution and escalated with the introduction of the mobile component yesterday.

Aliens who were not allowed to vote under the old Constitution can now do so after registering.

In its election strategy document titled "Priority Activities Ahead of the 2013 Elections", the MDC-T owns up to voter apathy in its perceived strongholds, "there is low voter registration in MDC strongholds, therefore massive voter education and registration information and publicity has to be engaged in,'' reads section 9.1 of the strategy document.

Prof Moyo said figures released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of people who registered during last month's voter registration blitz that indicate a low turnout in the party' strongholds had sent MDC-T panicking ahead of the national polls that are due by end of next month.

According to figures made available by ZEC last week, Zanu-PF strongholds in Mashonaland East, Central and West recorded the highest number of first-time voters out of the 204 041 who registered to vote between April 29 and May 19.

The figures show 35 266 such voters registered in Mashonaland East; 31 570 in Mashonaland West and 29 635 in Mashonaland Central.

Bulawayo recorded 5 068, Matabeleland South had 9 403, Matabeleland North recorded 13 536 while the Midlands registered 23 404 first-time voters.

Manicaland also recorded 24 024; Masvingo 20 610 and Harare 11 525.

Prof Moyo said the MDC-T was trying to confuse intensive voter registration that officially started on May 23, a day after publication day of the new Constitution and the mop up mobile exercise that started yesterday.

"While some might have their political or logistical opinions about when the 30 days start, there is no doubt that in terms of the new Constitution, the 30 days started after publication date," he said.

"The publication date was May 22 and the day after was May 23, there should therefore be no sophistry or propaganda about something as clear as that.

"If some people have political problems or logistical issues they have nothing to do with what the Constitution says that intensive voter registration start counting after publication date.

"There is no reason to confuse the mobile exercise and intensive registration.

"We have entered a phase of mobile exercise and this is done as a mop up operation within the overall exercise. Usually it has never happened that the mop up exercise takes more than 14 days."

Prof Moyo said elections that come at the end of the life of Parliament were not an ambush that people could claim that they were not aware that they were supposed to register.

He said considering that voter registration was a continuous process there was no justification for people who have not registered to claim that they had been denied the right to register as voters.

"It is clear that the MDC-T is failing to mobilise its people to register as voters.

"This has also been confirmed by dramatic low numbers in their primary elections where their winning candidates could get as little as 32 votes which is equivalent to a family or clan.

"They know that political parties can carry out voter education but they have failed to do so that is why they are panicking and transferring its responsibilities to ZEC and the Registrar General's Office," said Prof Moyo.

But MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora disputed saying there was no difference between intensive voter registration and mobile registration. He said the 30-days minimum requirement had started yesterday adding that it was supposed to run for at least 30 days.

"Intensive voter registration started on the date that ZEC announced the commencement of the voter registration exercise and it is the day that the actual registration commences.

"The reason we put that requirement was to make sure that those people originally disfranchised in the old Constitution get 30 days to exercise their right to vote,''  he said.