Zim electoral process peaceful, declares ZESN
By Staff Reporter
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network says political campaigns ahead of Monday’s crucial harmonised elections were generally calm and peaceful save for the Bulawayo bomb incident that killed two at a ruling ZANU-PF rally.
A ZESN official told journalists in Hararw during a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon that the Bulawayo bomb explosion incident targetting President Emmerson Mnangagwa was highly regrettable.
Emphasising that this was not the Network’s final report on the harmonised elections in which ousted president Robert Mugabe’s successor, President Mnangagwa is facing stiff competition from 40-year-old opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader, Nelson Chamisa, ZESN said various political parties campaigned freely.
The official said the ruling ZANU-PF and the MDC parties addressed the highest number of public rallies between them in the run up to the historical polls.
It was disclosed that the ZESN deployed over 6,000 election observers to the country’s over 200 constituencies and as of today most had sent in their preliminary reports over how the voting process was conducted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
ZESN however, raised concern that some presidential candidates were still campaign beyond the stipulated time, traditional leaders were forcing people to vote for their preferred candidates and the unequal gender representation in the electoral process.
Other issues was the unfair media coverage where the ruling party seems to have enjoyed media attention.
ZEC is expected to start announcing verified election results later on Monday following an announcement that vote counting had been concluded in the second largest city, Bulawayo.
