Police early voting catches Zimbabwe opposition by surprise

By KITSEPILE NYATHI in Harare | Sunday, July 14  2013 at  12:59

Zimbabwe's general election will go ahead on July 31 as set by President Robert Mugabe. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

Zimbabwe’s security forces started voting Sunday ahead of the country’s July 31 general election despite a last minute bid by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to stop the polls.

Soldiers, police officers and civil servants who will be on official duty on July 31 are taking part in the polls.

But Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has approached the High Court seeking to stop the special two day vote.

MDC argues that the 69,000 police officers who are expected to vote far exceeds the 44,133 on the government’s payroll.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police says the additional 20,000 police officers were reserves who had a right to also cast their ballots.

High Court judge Justice George Chiweshe will hear the case on Monday.

On Sunday there were reports of confusion at most polling stations where there were no ballot papers, ink and ballot papers.

According to various groups monitoring polls, police officers who were not happy with delays at a Harare polling station turned rowdy.

In a statement, MDC said the voting was chaotic in a number of polling stations across the country.

The party on its official twitter handle wrote: “No ballot papers everywhere! No polling officers, our agents are just waiting.”

Finance minister Tendai Biti insists that Zimbabwe has no money to fund the elections and hopes that neighbouring countries would help finance the polls continue to diminish after President Mugabe ignored advice by regional leaders to delay them.

However, the state owned Sunday Mail newspaper reported that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) will this week get $95 million from the government to fund the polls.

“We are receiving funding from Treasury,” ZEC chairperson Rita Makarau told the paper.

“We are receiving steady disbursements. It may not all be coming in one tranches as we would have liked to see it in our bank account but it is coming upon our request and that is making it a whole lot easier for us to manage.