via Govt to reinstate postal vote | The Herald January 7, 2014
Government will scrap the Special Vote and reinstate postal voting if the Electoral Amendment Bill published in the Government Gazette last week is passed into law.The Special Vote posed huge logistical challenges in running last year’s harmonised elections.
It was introduced via the Electoral Act during the inclusive Government as a balloting mechanism for members of the disciplined forces and other Government workers on duty during actual polling days.
This was after the MDC formations raised concerns about the transparency of the postal vote. However, the Special Vote resulted in chaotic scenes during the two days of voting that had been set aside for the purpose and resulted in at least 30 000 members of the disciplined forces failing to vote.
According to the Bill, Clause 33 will reinstate the postal vote.
“This clause reinstates the right of members of disciplined forces and electoral officers who will be away from their constituencies on security or official duties to vote by postal ballot.
“Consequently upon the amendment effected by Clause 33, this clause abolished the part in the Electoral Act dealing with ‘Special Voting’,” reads part of the Bill.
Clause 43 will also amend the Act by removing the drawing of lots to find a winner in a parliamentary or local authority election in the event there is a tie.
“This clause will substitute sections 129 and 130 of the principal Act, which provides for the drawing of lots in the presence of the Chief Elections Officer in cases where the two top candidates in an election to Parliament or a local authority are tied.
“This clause will substitute these provisions by enacting that, in such an event, a run-off by-election for the seat in question must be held,” reads the Bill.
The gazetting of the Electoral Amendment Bill is part of measures to align the country’s laws with the new Constitution.
COMMENTS
Already the planning for 2018 rigging is beginning, this is a sign that no other party other than Zanu Pf will win elections in Zimbabwe FOR YEARS TO COME, because Zanu Pf now has all the tools at their disposal and all the power to change laws to their favour and facilitate rigging every single vote. Lets prepare and be content with maximum suffering after missing opportunities to remove Zanu in last year’s election.
I wonder why MDC fails to have an intelligence team to detect and advice before hand all these things. They should have a team that also plans ahead and stop wasting resources on the past. They are busy studying how they lost and how to avoid that in next ellections when ZANU will use a totally different approach. With all the learned guys in MDC, it is team they think and plan ahead. Since ZANU is in control, they need a team to detect the coming (not past) rigging tricks and they expose or have counter plans. Wake up our party please and Act like people who know what they are dealing with!
The MDCs they blew their chance when they had a majority and made a lot of concessions with a minority party (ZANU PF).The draft constitution limited the Presidential term to two terms but Tsvangirai and company were arm-twisted to alter it to say that Mugabe’s five terms must be thrown away because Zanu PF knew that Mugabe cant rule until he is 100years.Tsvangison and company you are not smart at all and to expect you to give us independence kugarira guyo sembwa.