ZEC Yet to Release Polling Station Results One Year After 2023 Elections
A year after Zimbabwe’s controversial 2023 elections, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has yet to release detailed voter-by-polling-station results, fueling ongoing concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. This delay has been highlighted by Freeman Chari, a prominent opposition figure and convenor of the civil society group Pachedu, in a series of statements marking the first anniversary of the elections.
Chari, who played a significant role in mobilizing and collating voter data during the elections, expressed frustration over ZEC’s failure to provide the essential results that would offer transparency and accountability. He pointed out that the issues surrounding the election were not limited to the day of voting but began as early as 2021 with the manipulation of the voters’ roll and the controversial delimitation process, which he claims disenfranchised the opposition by removing 54 constituencies favorable to them.
“ZEC added close to 1000 new polling stations a month before elections and did not provide a voters’ roll for those,” Chari stated. He further alleged that some of these polling stations produced highly questionable and unstamped results, citing examples where the official count was heavily skewed in favor of the ruling party.
Despite the widespread irregularities reported by the opposition and civil society groups, ZEC has remained silent on releasing the detailed polling station results, which could shed light on the extent of the alleged vote manipulation.
The lack of transparency from ZEC has continued to undermine confidence in Zimbabwe’s electoral system. As Chari noted, “There is a reason we kept insisting that ZEC should release its polling station by polling station results which it has failed to do up to today.”
In his anniversary message, Chari also highlighted the harassment and arrests of volunteers engaged in parallel voter tabulation efforts, underscoring the dangerous environment in which opposition supporters operated during the election period. Despite these challenges, Chari praised the resilience of citizens who managed to collate data from 75% of polling stations within the first two days after the election, even though they were unable to authenticate or verify all results.
As Zimbabwe looks ahead, the call for ZEC to release the polling station results remains a critical demand for those seeking electoral reforms and justice. The ongoing delay only deepens the controversy surrounding the 2023 elections and the future of democracy in Zimbabwe.
