Record number votes in Masvingo

A RECORD 512 649 people voted in Monday's historic harmonised elections in Masvingo, representing an 83 percent provincial turnout.

The province had approximately 560 000 registered voters.

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Masvingo provincial elections officer Mr Zex Zirabada Pudurai yesterday said women constituted the majority of people who voted across the province with 295 617 while males numbered 217 032 in all the 26 constituencies in the province.

He said the voting process went smoothy right across the province.

"The voting exercise went on very well and there were no reports of violence or any challenges until the poll closed on Monday night,'' said Mr Pudurai.

The highest number of people who voted was recorded in Masvingo Urban where 35 455 people voted followed by Chiredzi West and Chiredzi North with 33 228 and 32 350 respectively. Turnout was also high in Mwenezi West where 31 572 people voted.

Chiredzi South had the least number of voters with 11 442 while Zaka East had 12 009 people who cast their vote.

A total of 55 374 people comprising 40 964 females and 14 410 males were assisted to vote in the polls and the majority of them were in Mwenezi West where some 6 190 both males and females got assistance to cast their ballots.

The total number of people turned away was 8 667 with females accounting for more than half of them.

Some of the common reasons for being turned away was failure to produce identity documents or having defaced identity documents and not appearing in the voter register.

This year's elections have been hailed for their peacefulness with no incidence of violence reported before and during the voting exercise.