Soldiers, cops to apply to vote in Zim elections

Members of the uniformed forces who are serving the country outside its borders will have to apply through the chief elections officer for them to be eligible to vote in national elections.

According to Zimbabwe's new electoral law, assented to by President Robert Mugabe last week, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) shall ensure that all application forms for postal ballot papers are made available at all embassies or consular missions in the host countries.

In a Government Gazette notice, Sections 72 and 73 of the principal Act, which deals with the matter of postal votes, was repealed.

"Where an election is to be held in a constituency, a person who is registered as a voter on the roll for that constituency shall be entitled to vote by post in terms of this part, if on all polling days in the election, he or she will be outside Zimbabwe," read the law.

Despite calls to have Zimbabweans in the Diaspora take part in national voting processes, the notice said only members of the uniformed forces, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, Zimbabwe National Army and other citizens who will be serving government outside the country, would be eligible to vote.

"Citizens on duty as members of a disciplined force or as an election officer on duty in the service of government, or as the spouse of a person referred to in paragraph (b) (spouses of nationals who are on government service duty) and so unable to vote at a polling station in the constituency and are registered to vote, are eligible to take part in voting process," states the law.

The notice also added that the specified civil servants would have to apply through the chief elections officer of Zec for ballot papers to be availed.

"A person who wishes to vote by post may apply to the chief elections officer for a postal ballot paper. Provided that applications for postal ballot papers by members of a disciplined force may be made to the chief elections officer only through their commanding officers," reads the new law.

"An application for a postal ballot paper shall be in the prescribed form, signed by the applicant and accompanied by a certified copy of the voter's national registration certificate.

"Except in the case where the application is submitted (individually or as part of a batch of such applications) by a commanding officer on behalf of a member of a disciplined force, a letter from the applicant's head of ministry, head of department or head of station or head of Zimbabwe's embassy or diplomatic or consular mission in the foreign state where the applicant is employed….stating the capacity in which the applicant is employed by the government and where the applicant will be employed on the polling days or polling days as the case may be in the election."

The law states that applicants would then sent the forms to the chief elections officer by a commercial service courier or diplomatic courier not later than 14 days after the nomination day of candidates.