Civic society groups back biometric voting

Civic society groups have welcomed efforts by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to find ways of implementing a biometric voters' roll in Zimbabwe.

In separate statements issued this week, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and the Election Resource Centre (ERC) called on Zec to begin consultations with local stakeholders in order to "expedite the process".

ZESN director Rindai Chipfunde Vava said "adequate resources must be put in place to ensure that all the various processes are done in time for the new systems to be successful".  

The group said adopting the system would go a long way in indicating government's willingness to hold free, fair and credible elections, adding that consultations with stakeholders in time would ensure the "most appropriate type of the biometric voter registration system for Zimbabwe'.