via ‘Cops should not assist voters’ November 4, 2013 NewsDay
THE African Union Election Observer Mission on Zimbabwe has recommended that police officers should not be used to assist voters in elections as this might result in undue influence in the voting process.
In its final election report last week, the observer mission, which was led by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo said the July 31 harmonised polls were held in a “professional and successful” manner, but expressed concern over the involvement of police officers in the actual voting process.
“Zimbabwean authorities should reconsider the use of police officers in assisting voters as it may unduly influence the manner in which they vote,” the report concluded.
“In future, authorities might wish to consider the reduction of parameters that necessitate persons to qualify as “assisted voters”. The number of persons allowed to “assist” voters should also be reviewed with a view to reducing it downward from four.”
In the past, the police force has been biased towards Zanu PF with Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri openly declaring his allegiance to the party.
The AU election observer mission also expressed concern over the high number of assisted voters especially in Mashonaland Central Province. It also recommended that “security markings on ballot papers needed to be improved (as in some instances, observers noted the poor quality of the inscriptions) to prevent any possibility of duplication”.
Although the Zimbabwean polls have been accepted by the United Nations and other international political players, the United States and the European Union have refused to accept the results of the elections.
The opposition MDC-T has also expressed similar concerns and dismissed the poll outcome as a “farce”.
The party said its observers had documented cases where headmasters were assisted to vote in because they could “neither read nor write”.
Zimbabwe boasts of having the highest literacy rate in Africa.
COMMENTS
This could make a very big difference… if ZANUPF ever began to care what the AU Election Commission Observers thinks. Until then, it’ll be election rigging as usual.
If the police are not allowed to assist my mother and grand mother to vote then I should be allowed to do that and not the so called NGOs. Even these police we do not trust that they will assist honestly. Someone has to assist those who need assistance and its their democratic right and constitutional. A relative is a better devil
Shebah, let me pick the policeman who will “assist” you, your mother, and your grandmother vote next time. He’s big and strong, and you will not dare complain. Fair enough..?
shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted!!
A post last week credited to the The Herald reported the opposite. That alone, the visually impaired or literally challenged have their trusted kith who are known to the community they leave. These are the people who should be left to assist them. Or like a corpse in a mortuary, only redeemable by one who bares the same surname, the electorally incapable should be aided by their own who share the same surname. Any betrayal by the trusted will torture his/her conscious. Betrayal by ill literate headmasters whom we entrust to teach our grand kids literature is nothing but both a political and economic genocide.
The MDC has always argued that our country is a junta/police state, the election observer team runs short of saying the same. Any reason against police assisting the illiterate would but augment MDC’s challenge to Zanu pf’s July 31 election fraud.
F.Y.I – in the United States and Britain they handle Assisted Voting this way.
” A voter in any of the following four categories is entitled to assistance from a Federally Accredited VOA (Voters Official Assistant), a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or an officer or agent of the voter’s union:
a. A voter who, on account of physical disability, is unable to enter the voting booth without assistance.
b. A voter who, on account of physical disability, is unable to mark a ballot without assistance.
c. A voter who, on account of illiteracy, is unable to mark a ballot without assistance.
d. A voter who, on account of blindness, is unable to enter the voting booth or mark a ballot without assistance.
Guess that would have put a kibosh in the ZANU-PF/Nikuv vote-rigging agenda.
Chivulamapots, there is hardly an illiterate in the UK so, lie lie. Its only in Zim where the teachers are illiterate and yet pass rate is 90% at Zimsec and 99% literacy rate in Zimbabwe, just that the rate goes so low (to 25% literacy rate) around election periods
In Buhera Dr. Joseph Chinotimba even helped illiterate voters, just that he casted all the votes in favour of the MDC
Easily Fooled – so you think speaking fluent English is being literate. Some speak fluent shona but can not write a single word.