News / Local
Anti-riot police disrupt CCC media address outside ZEC offices
29 May 2023 at 14:38hrs | Views
Truncheon wielding anti-riot police on Monday ordered Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) officials to stop addressing journalists just outside the perimeter wall of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's (ZEC) main offices in Harare, as political tensions start developing ahead of the country's high stakes polls expected not later than August this year.
The incident happened moments after a group of opposition officials had delivered a written request for a formal meeting with ZEC bosses over anomalies noted in the voters' roll.
CCC is up in arms with the country's controversial poll management authority over what it finds to be "serious" anomalies within the crucial poll document which has since been opened for inspection by the electorate from May 27 to 31, 2023.
Nelson Chamisa's party on Monday approached ZEC with a letter demanding an urgent meeting in order to raise their concerns and also proffer solutions thereto.
"The team from the elections directorate has engaged ZEC the head of PR. They delivered a written urgent request to meet the chief elections officer.
"Our key demand from the start as CCC has been for the voters roll to be given to us in an analysable, searchable format, an electronic voter's roll that's what the constitution says," party spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere told journalists before she was forced into a party vehicle by police.
"Ibvai ipapo (leave this place)," police ordered.
In a later communication on Twitter, Mahere said "Our press conference at the ZEC offices has been forcefully interrupted by a team of riot police. This unfortunate event is taking place when the country is less than three months away from the elections.
"As such, we expect the Zimbabwe Police to uphold the principles of impartiality and carry out their duties as stipulated in the national constitution."
Mahere said the police action is in breach of the "numerous constitutional rights".
"Zanu-PF is terrified of a free & fair election. We'll leave no stone unturned in our quest to defend the vote & win Zimbabwe for change," she said.
CCC has listed some anomalies for the attention of ZEC.
Among some of the main issues arising are missing names of prospective voters some of which had voted in 2018 and some as recent as the March 2022 by-elections.
For example, in Ward 25, Gokwe-Nembudziya constituency, all surnames starting from "A to Mu" are said to be missing from the ward voters' roll.
According to CCC, some registered voters that had been appearing on the biometric voter registration online inspection platform have suddenly gone missing from the current online platforms and the voters roll under inspection.
CCC also noted that the voters roll under inspection by the electorate seems not be in sync with the new delimitation boundaries
The incident happened moments after a group of opposition officials had delivered a written request for a formal meeting with ZEC bosses over anomalies noted in the voters' roll.
CCC is up in arms with the country's controversial poll management authority over what it finds to be "serious" anomalies within the crucial poll document which has since been opened for inspection by the electorate from May 27 to 31, 2023.
Nelson Chamisa's party on Monday approached ZEC with a letter demanding an urgent meeting in order to raise their concerns and also proffer solutions thereto.
"The team from the elections directorate has engaged ZEC the head of PR. They delivered a written urgent request to meet the chief elections officer.
"Our key demand from the start as CCC has been for the voters roll to be given to us in an analysable, searchable format, an electronic voter's roll that's what the constitution says," party spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere told journalists before she was forced into a party vehicle by police.
"Ibvai ipapo (leave this place)," police ordered.
🟡Our press conference at the ZEC offices has been forcefully interrupted by a team of riot police. This unfortunate event is taking place when the country is less than three months away from the elections. As such, we expect the Zimbabwe Police to uphold the principles of… pic.twitter.com/AnKQVEDbwK
— Citizens' Coalition for Change (@CCCZimbabwe) May 29, 2023
In a later communication on Twitter, Mahere said "Our press conference at the ZEC offices has been forcefully interrupted by a team of riot police. This unfortunate event is taking place when the country is less than three months away from the elections.
"As such, we expect the Zimbabwe Police to uphold the principles of impartiality and carry out their duties as stipulated in the national constitution."
Mahere said the police action is in breach of the "numerous constitutional rights".
"Zanu-PF is terrified of a free & fair election. We'll leave no stone unturned in our quest to defend the vote & win Zimbabwe for change," she said.
CCC has listed some anomalies for the attention of ZEC.
Among some of the main issues arising are missing names of prospective voters some of which had voted in 2018 and some as recent as the March 2022 by-elections.
For example, in Ward 25, Gokwe-Nembudziya constituency, all surnames starting from "A to Mu" are said to be missing from the ward voters' roll.
According to CCC, some registered voters that had been appearing on the biometric voter registration online inspection platform have suddenly gone missing from the current online platforms and the voters roll under inspection.
CCC also noted that the voters roll under inspection by the electorate seems not be in sync with the new delimitation boundaries
Source - zimlive
