Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
Encyclopedia
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is a nominally independent organization which controls elections at all levels of Zimbabwe politics
. It was established by an Act
of the Parliament
in 2004, with influence from its predecessor, the Electoral Supervisory Commission as well as the Southern African Development Community
.
of the Movement for Democratic Change
party believes that the June 2008 elections could not be conducted fairly due to election violence which Tsvangirai believes was state-sponsored, and in most cases performed by the state militia. He also claims that members of the police
, Zimbabwe National Army
, and prison officers were being "forced" to vote Zanu-PF. According to Tsvangirai the ZEC has failed to condemn whisperings among Zanu-PF officials that president Robert Mugabe
will continue to rule regardless of electoral results, which has encouraged groups of War Veterans
to provoke violence.
herald newspaper, which they are required to do in their mandate. Critics state that this information is completely one-sided against the opposition and in favour of Robert Mugabe and the incumbent Zanu-PF party, as well as being incorrect, and inciting racial, religious and political hatred, and blame the Commission for failing to monitor this.
Politics of Zimbabwe
Politics of Zimbabwe takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential republic, whereby the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government...
. It was established by an Act
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament
Parliament of Zimbabwe
The Parliament of Zimbabwe consists of two chambers:*The Senate *The House of Assembly...
in 2004, with influence from its predecessor, the Electoral Supervisory Commission as well as the Southern African Development Community
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
.
Official Functions
- Preparing for, conducting and supervising all Elections in Zimbabwe and referendums.
- Ensuring that elections are free, fair, transparent, and perfectly in accordance with the law.
- Directing and controlling voter registrationVoter registrationVoter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive.-Centralized/compulsory vs...
. - Gathering voters rolls and registers
- Guarding and maintaining voters rolls and registers.
- Designing and distributing ballot papersBallotA ballot is a device used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. In the simplest elections, a ballot may be a simple scrap of paper on which each voter writes in the name of a candidate, but governmental elections use pre-printed to protect the...
, setting up ballot boxes and placing polling stationPolling stationA polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s. - Supervising the registration of votersVoter registrationVoter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive.-Centralized/compulsory vs...
under the Electoral Law - delimiting Electoral Boundaries.
- Instructing the registrar general of voters of his functions under the law.
- Instructing employees of the state or local authorities of their responsibilities in ensuring free, fair, proper, and fair conduct in any elections or referendums.
- Providing voter education which is:
- accurate, adequate and not biased to any political party or candidate
- in compliance with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission act
- is not carried out by any foreign organization of any kind (any local Zimbabwean person may be appointed to carry out voter education, although the materials used are approved by the ZEC, in order to ensure impartiality, uniformity and suitability)
- Keeping the public informed about:
- the demarcation of constituencies and other electoral boundaries
- All candidates and affiliated political parties contesting an election, and supporting or opposing any question put to a referendum
- Voting and the results of votes, and all matters concerning the work of the commission as well as the electoral process.
- The exercise of any other function imposed on the commission by acts of parliament.
The Commission
The Commission comprises 8 Commissioners who are appointed by the President. The Chairperson is appointed after consultation with the judicial service commission, and the other 7 are appointed from a list of nominees supplied by the Parliamentary Committee on Standing Rules and Orders. There is also a Chief Elections Officer charged with the day-to-day running of the Commission.| Hon Justice George M Chiweshe | Chairperson |
| Joyce Kazembe | Deputy Chairperson |
| Lovemore Sekeramay | Chief Elections Officer |
| Sarah Kachingwe | Commissioner |
| George Kahari | Commissioner |
| Vivian Ncube | Commissioner |
| Jonathon Siyachitema | Commissioner |
| Theophilus Gambe | Commissioner |
Criticism
On numerous occasions the ZEC has been dubbed biased and their independence questioned by opposition parties as well as international Independent media.Political Violence and Intimidation
Morgan TsvangiraiMorgan Tsvangirai
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. He is the President of the Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai and a key figure in the opposition to President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on 11 February 2009...
of the Movement for Democratic Change
Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
The Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe is a political party and the largest party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe. It is the main formation formed from the split of the original Movement for Democratic Change in 2005.-Foundation:...
party believes that the June 2008 elections could not be conducted fairly due to election violence which Tsvangirai believes was state-sponsored, and in most cases performed by the state militia. He also claims that members of the police
Zimbabwe Republic Police
The Zimbabwe Republic Police is the national police force of Zimbabwe, known until July 1980 as the British South Africa Police. -Structure:...
, Zimbabwe National Army
Zimbabwe National Army
The Zimbabwe National Army is the land warfare branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. The ZNA currently has an active duty strength of 30,000.-History:...
, and prison officers were being "forced" to vote Zanu-PF. According to Tsvangirai the ZEC has failed to condemn whisperings among Zanu-PF officials that president Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
will continue to rule regardless of electoral results, which has encouraged groups of War Veterans
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association
Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association is a Zimbabwean organization ostensibly made up of veterans of the 1970s bush war against the government of Ian Smith. In 2005, the government looked into ways to make members of the organization part of the army of Zimbabwe.- History :The...
to provoke violence.
Media
MDC also claim that the Commission fails to run efficiently as it has failed to act on the Zimbabwean media, such as the state-runGovernment-owned corporation
A government-owned corporation, state-owned company, state-owned entity, state enterprise, publicly owned corporation, government business enterprise, or parastatal is a legal entity created by a government to undertake commercial activities on behalf of an owner government...
herald newspaper, which they are required to do in their mandate. Critics state that this information is completely one-sided against the opposition and in favour of Robert Mugabe and the incumbent Zanu-PF party, as well as being incorrect, and inciting racial, religious and political hatred, and blame the Commission for failing to monitor this.
See also
- International reaction to the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential electionInternational reaction to the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential electionThe events of the first and second rounds of the Zimbabwean presidential election, which Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF won on June 27, 2008 after his challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change , withdrew from the process and declared it illegitimate, caused reactions from many...
- Zimbabwe presidential election, 2008
- Campaigning for Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008Campaigning for Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008Campaigning for the first round of the presidential election held in Zimbabwe on March 29, 2008 took place from February to March. There were three major candidates: President Robert Mugabe of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front , Morgan Tsvangirai of the opposition...
- Second round of voting in the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential electionSecond round of voting in the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential electionThe second round of voting in the Zimbabwean presidential election of 2008 was held between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai after the first round failed to produce a 50% majority for either candidate. The election process was marred by violence against and intimidation of voters and party...