The voting process went smoothly in six electoral districts that held by-elections in different parts of the country yesterday, with officials happy with the peaceful atmosphere.
Speaking to the Sunday News in Bulawayo as Zimbabwe’s electoral polls closed The Chief Electoral Officer of the Commission (ZEC), Mr Otuel Silagwana, commended voters for voting peacefully, saying all polling stations opened on time.
However, he said civic education is needed to ensure the public understands the importance of registering to vote and exercising their constitutional right to vote.
“Polling for today 3 February 2024 took place in all the provinces where by-elections were held. We had six constituencies and several constituencies across the country, especially in Bulawayo, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East and the Midlands. Turnout was low, yes “By-elections by nature attract low turnout but this time our assessment shows that the turnout was actually lower than we expected, but there could be several factors.” “We are still making the appropriate assessment,” said Mr. Siligwana.
Cde Joseph Chuma after casting his vote
He said ZEC has been able to do all its groundwork to ensure that the process is conducted in a proper manner across the country.
“We, at ZEC, did everything we were supposed to do in terms of preparations, and I can confirm that all polling stations opened at 7 a.m. By then there were very few people trickling in, and there was a slight increase around “10 a.m., and by mid-morning, as I mentioned earlier, the percentages remained low. In some of the polling stations I visited, the turnout was between 10 and 15 percent.”
