Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is an independent Chapter 12 institution established in terms of Section 238 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe; which is responsible for the management and administration of Zimbabwe's electoral processes. It was initially established by the act of Parliament in 2004, with influence from its predecessor, the Electoral Supervisory Commission as well as the

Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security coopera ...

Official functions

:The official functions of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission are: :*Preparing for, conducting and supervising all

Elections in Zimbabwe The Zimbabwe government consists of an elected head of state, the president, and a legislature. The presidential term lasts for 5 years, and is elected by majority, with a second round if no candidate receives a majority in the first round. The P ...

and

referendums A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

. :*Ensuring that elections are free, fair, transparent, and perfectly in accordance with the law. However ,that has not been always the case as some political stakeholders claim that the institution is biased and partisan. :*Directing and controlling

voter registration In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise eligible to vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted to vote. The ru ...

. :*Gathering voters rolls and registers :*Guarding and maintaining voters rolls and registers. :*Designing and distributing

ballot papers A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16t ...

, setting up ballot boxes and placing

polling station A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English and British English, although polling place is the building

s. :*Supervising the registration of voters 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 organisation of any kind (any local Zimbabwean person may be appointed to carry out voter education, although the materials used are approved by the ZEC, to ensure impartiality, uniformity and suitability. :Keeping the public informed about: :*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.Zimbabwe Electoral Commission

The Commission

The commission comprises eight commissioners who are appointed by the president. The chairperson is appointed after consultation with the judicial service commission, and the other seven 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.

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 Tsvangirai Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (; ; 10 March 1952 – 14 February 2018) was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was President of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democratic C ...

of the

Movement for Democratic Change Movement for Democratic Change or MDC may refer to: * Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T), the former main opposition party in Zimbabwe ** Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai Congress 2006, the second MDC–T congress ...

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 The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

Zimbabwe National Army The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is the primary branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces responsible for land-oriented military operations. It is the largest service branch under the Zimbabwean Joint Operations Command (JOC). The modern army has ...

, 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 Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...

will continue to rule regardless of electoral results, which has encouraged groups of

War Veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

to provoke violence.This is Zimbabwe » Blog Archive » Morgan Tsvangirai’s letter to ZEC

Media

MDC also claim that the Commission fails to conduct its duties of regulation efficiently as it has failed to act on the Zimbabwean media, such as the state-run ''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.

References

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Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...