HARARE-Â Opposition supporters have stormed a police camp in Zimbabwe where officers were voting ahead of this month’s historic election without election officials present.
A video circulating around social media has alarmed some people in the country, where new president Emmerson Mnangagwa had promised that the election would not resort to past tactics. However voting rigging allegations have plagued the election.
The Zimbabwe election commission’s chief officer, Utloile Silaigwana, at first denied Thursday’s voting took place, dismissed reports as “hogwash”, but woud later acknowledge the allegations, after police acknowledged some officers were voting.
“There is no requirement for ZEC to be present when individuals vote; ZEC meets their ballots when they courier them to the CEO,” he said.
However the opposition said that the police officers were uncomfortable with the voting sent alerts via social media, resulting in officials and election observers rushing to the camp to find the process under way.
“What we witnessed is far from what is inscribed in the law,” said Welshman Ncube, spokesperson for the main MDC opposition coalition.
“People voting by postal ballot are not supposed to vote under supervision. They should simply get their sealed envelopes with their ballot papers and return them before a prescribed date. This was an attempt to rig.”
In one video it shows the votes piled in cardboard boxes of a popular brand of sanitary pads.
“Here’s the irony — the brand is STAYFREE. This poll is anything but. The jokes write themselves,” journalist Mduduzi Mathuthu said on Twitter.
#ZimPostalVoting Counting of postal votes at Rosecamp police station in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe – 12 July 2018
*Police officers voted in without electoral commission, observers or party agents. Only senior police offers administered postal vote#ZimElections2018 #ZimDecides2018 pic.twitter.com/9Js6s6ImpM
— Povo News (@povonewsafrica) July 12, 2018
#ZimElections2018 Chaos as police officer postal voting takes places without electoral commission
Photo's from Rosecamp police station in Bulawayo showing officers in queue, ballot boxes & counting of ballot papers
ZEC acting chief elections denied any postal voting took place pic.twitter.com/DwK7ah9i1f
— Povo News (@povonewsafrica) July 12, 2018
Photo Credit-AP News
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