VP Mnangagwa on electoral amendments Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
Government has completed drafting amendments to the Electoral Act and at least 11 other laws related to voter registration and elections as part of alignment of laws to the new Constitution, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is also Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister said yesterday.

VP Mnangagwa said this while responding to questions in the National Assembly on when Government would ensure that ZEC had total control of the voters’ roll as required by the new Constitution.

“We finished last week the amendments of the Electoral Act and I think it would be introduced in the House tomorrow (today) or next week. We have also finished 11 other Acts, which relates to the elections and registration of voters,” he said.

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“When we introduce these 11 Bills or so I would urge that members acquaint themselves with the provisions of the Bills and will be able to ask pertinent questions whether they conform to the Constitution.”

VP Mnangagwa said shortages of resources and other logistical problems had also hampered ZEC from carrying out its mandate to maintain a voters’ roll.

“It is true we have always had hiccups in relation to the voters’ roll and the Constitution, which we have adopted.

“It revised the responsibility of compiling the voters’ roll from the RG’s department to ZEC.

“The entire machinery, which is used for that purpose is also used in other purposes like registration of births and deaths. It has been a problem to acquire resources for ZEC for that purpose and we have had to re-assign experienced personnel from other Government departments to ZEC,” VP Mnangagwa said.

He defended the voter registration exercise and inspection of voters’ roll carried out by ZEC ahead of by-elections in Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe and Mt Darwin West, saying it was above board.

He said this in response to a question by Harare Central representative Mr Murisi Zwizwai (MDC-T), who queried the legality of the exercise.

“If he thinks what we are doing is not constitutional, the courts are open he can go and challenge but we are satisfied that what we are doing is constitutional to the letter,” he said.

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