This is an overview of the most recent crowd sourced updates on the elections in Zimbabwe. The updates can also be found on our facebook page. Also follow the results as they are announced using interactive maps, http://electiOnride.com/
Find the nearest polling station, www.zimvoices.co.zw
Crowd-sourced election incidents, www.zimelections2013.com
Checking if you’re on the voter’s roll, www.myzimvote.com
Check election results, www.simukairesults.co.za
http://zimbabweelection.com/
LIVE FEEDS (Latest update on top, updates according to Zimbabwe time)
16 August: The MDC withdraws its election petition and Tsvangirai issues the following statement:
“My case has been so seriously undermined that it has become impracticable for me to proceed. It is a decision I took with a heavy heart to withdraw the Constitutional Court case challenging the results of the July 31 fraudulent elections. Primarily, the failure by the Electoral Court to deliver judgment in a case in which I was demanding electoral records to use as evidence has severely undermined the Constitutional Court case, which was going to be heard tomorrow in the absence of key material such as an electronic copy of the voters’ roll, full set of presidential results per constituency and special voting records. The delay in making a determination on the availability of the material seriously undermined the presidential challenge. It leaves me with serious reservations on the credibility of the court process in the absence of the crucial material. As I said before, it’s flabbergasting that I had to go to court to force ZEC, a public body, to release records, which should be readily available to the public. The Electoral Court’s actions worsened the situation. It is shocking that the court, in its wisdom, chose to sit on such a crucial matter in an act, which effectively sabotaged my case. The battle is far from over though. I have repeatedly talked about our courts and how we need other options to win this fight. Those alternatives have always been on the table and we will be rolling them out soon.”
14 August 2013
The Electoral Court today hears the case in which the MDC is demanding the release of election records. These records are vital to the main case at the Constitutional Court. They are seeking to access information such as copies of the voters’ roll used at all polling stations, copies of the voters’ roll used at all polling stations for the 14-15 July special vote, register of those who voted during the special vote and the full set of presidential results per constituency.Justice Bhunu will be hearing the matter shortly.
11 am : According to Reuters, President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party claimed a landslide victory on Thursday in Zimbabwe’s elections, but its rival, Prime Minster Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said there had been “monumental fraud”.http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/08/01/zimbabwe-election-mugabe-idINDEE97004D20130801
10: 50 am ZESN says Election processes were systematically biased against the urban voters and pre-election issues have a bearing on the outcome of the polls.
9. 42 am A senior source in Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s party claimed a resounding victory in Wednesday’s parliamentary and presidential election against Prime Minster Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).http://zimbabweelection.com/2013/08/01/breaking-mugabe-beats-tsvangirai-in-zimbabwe-election-zanu-pf-source/
9.30 am Urgent Press Conference: The Zimbabwe Election Support Network is releasing its preliminary findings of the Harmonised elections 2013 at a press conference at 930am at the Holiday Inn, Mezzanine Floor today 1 August 2013. RSVP 00263772782299
8.52 am: NEWS ALERT! Heavily armed riot police surround Harvest House.
Police warn political parties:
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) National Spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba has warned political parties against announcing election results.
Speaking at a news conference in Harare on Wednesday night, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba said it is the sole responsibility of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to announce the election results, saying people who will attempt to do otherwise risk arrest.20:45pm: AU satisfied with polls. Olusegun Obasanjo brushes aside MDC concerns about shambolic voters’ roll as well as its failure to access the electronic copy.Obasanjo said failure to provide electronic voters’ roll does not take anything from the credibilty of the election.He said he was fully briefed by registrar-general Tobaiwa Mudede and is fully satisfied with his explanations
20:46pm: Bindura North and South have run out ballots for both the presidential and House of Assembly elections. Deputy district elections officer Davies Chiriwo said they didn’t anticipate the high voter turn out. He said they are in the process of moving ballots from other polling stations to the constituencies. Voting in Bindura urban and nine other polling stations in the two constituencies has been extended. “We will close voting when queues are cleared in those areas,” he said. In Bindura North, 7 309 people had voted at 21 of the 65 polling stations by 6:30pm while in Bindura South, 12 885 had voted as at 4:30pm at 21 of the 46 polling stationsVoting ended peacefully in Gokwe-Chireya as polling centres closed at 7pm serve for St Joseph’s Primary School polling station where voting ended at 2100 hours.KARIBA – The majority of makeshift polling stations in Nyamhunga, Mahombekombe and Kariba heights have no electricity and officials are verifying votes using torches.19: 00 hours : 800 people have voted so far at Hopley 1 and the queue is still long. People are already complaining and some leaving. The environment is relatively calm but people at the polling centre are complaining about slowness.
18:40 hours: Voting in Zimbabwe’s presidential and parliamentary elections has been extended for five hours after long queues formed at polling stations. The fiercely contested poll is said to be orderly and peaceful so far, despite being hit by fraud allegations. (Daily News)
17:30 hours All former soldiers have been ordered to report at army headquarters, KG6, tomorrow without fail, MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti has revealed. Biti told journalists at a Press Conference this afternoon that he had intelligence information about the reporting instructions.
When about the motive behind the order, Biti said: “I have no further details since we were informed by whistleblowers.” Observers suspect the former soldiers could be used as Zanu (PF) and Mugabe’s last line of defence if they should lose the elections. (The Zimbabwean).
17: 20 hours: Zimbabwe police have arrested 20 ZANU-PF supporters for allegedly issuing fake voter
registration documents to unregistered supporters to enable them to vote for President Robert Mugabe’s party in Wednesday’s general election: http://zimbabweelection.com/2013/07/31/ffze-breaking-news-mugabe-supporters-arrested-with-fake-voting-slips/
17: 17 hours: Just had feedback from an activist who drove around rural mat north. He reports lots of people being turned away
17: 00 hours: Harare, normally very busy, is deserted as citizens participate in today’s elections (via Freedom House Africa on twitter)
16: 51 hours: Twitter reports from civil society organisations are that ballot papers have run out at Goromonzi South, Guruve South and Umguza. Earlier today the MDC said there were very few ballot papers at
Makoni South.
16: 50 hours : Concerned Hatfield citizen ‘I wanted to vote at Houghton Park primary only to be told that my name is in Chimanimani. But was told to go to Hatfield Girls High. Upon arrival at Hatfield Girls, I was given a voters registration slip and asked politely to vote for Acie Lumumba but a president of my choice. Is this free and fair?Only people with slips from Lumumba are being given the right to vote even if they do not appear in the voters roll’.
15:54 – By 3pm, 222 had voted at Mboma and of these, 20 were assisted while 22 were turned away.
15:53 : Voting has virtually stopped at Hopley Farm Clinic as the polling officers now want to collect i.ds according to surnames . CitizenReports
15: 52 At Strathaven, some people who were not appearing on the roll were made to wait for updated roll. Later an A4 size ‘role’ was brought and the alert observers queried it and the roll taken away. #NehandaCitizenReports
15:5o – A generally high turnout at polling stations at Murombedzi GrowthPoint and Mboma Business Centre, Zvimba West.
15: 50 ZEC confirms that a number of police officers who did not cast their ballot during the Special Vote exercise found their names cancelled from the voters roll today. #ZimElection
15: 48 hours: In Muzarabani north constituency Kapembere ward 5,there is this notorious aspiring councillor who spearheaded violence in 2008 is intimidating MDC supporters with unspecified measures, he is saying mdc supporters should be assisted to vote by zanu pf youth.#NehandaCitizenReports
15: 47 hours : ZEC Chairperson, Rita Makarau says the Commission is investigating reports of a high number of assisted voters
15:38 – TendaUpenyu Moses Presiding officer at Murombedzi VTC C polling station denies NewsDay crew statistics of the voting process.
15:16 – In Mutasa South and at Mutare Junior Primary unlike other polling stations in Mutare there are no more queues.
15:15 – Makarau says ZEC is investigating cases where officers who did not cast special vote found their names crossed out.
15:10 – At the ZEC press Conference – ZEC says all those turned away because voter slips do not indicate wards have been advised to go back and vote.
Officials says mixed ballots will be sorted and placed into right boxes, they wont be regarded as spoilt.
15:09 – Redclif ward 3 council candidate MDC-T Clayton Masiyatsva denied to vote because his name did not appear on the voters roll.
15:03 – “A lot of the shenanigans took place before election. You hardly have any incidence of violence on the Election Day. Voter registration disfranchised people. A lot of cooking happened before July 31.” Biti
15:02 – “I have made it clear this election is illegal, unfree and unfair. Our participation is not condoning what has happened.We got a High court order that ZEC supply a hard copy of the voters roll by 12 today and soft copy when they are ready.” Biti
14:56 – At Harare High ,Stodart Hall there are no queues at all. People are just coming in and out.
14:55 -: Zec has failed to perform its duties – Biti
14:50 – Polling stations in Mkoba are virtually deserted.
14:49 – “ There are close to 200 000 people with 103 years and above and 2 million dead people on the voters roll. Zec was saying they guarantee us that people cannot vote twice. One ZEC official cynically said we can’t guard all the grave.” Biti.
14:48 – “In a normal election, you do not print more than 5% .They have printed two more. Yesterday we showed ZEC four pages of the same person with different ID numbers same date of birth.” Biti
14:47 – At the MDC-T press conference being held, Tendai Biti said they are getting reports that an extra 2 million ballots with the same serial numbers with those already being used have been printed. Biti says ZEC is full of arrogant people.
14:44 – A group of aliens at Mai Musodzi Hall in Mbare told NewsDay they constituted the bulk of people who were turned away. “We checked ourselves on the voters’ roll and they were there but suddenly today, we are not appearing on the roll,”they said.
14:43 – Disgruntled voters are sitting down at Nerutanga polling station in Oliver Mandipaka’s Buhera West.
14:42 – There are large numbers of assisted voters in Mramba Pfungwe. 159 out of 670 voters at Sowa TurnOff polling station have been assisted.
14:38 – Mbare Constituency election officer Valerio Mukova said they were concenrtating on serving voters to beat the 19oo hours deadline. He said some people had been turned away since their names did not appear on the voters’; roll and that they had been refereed to other wards.
14:37 – Mbare: At Shawasha polling station, there are four tents set up. By 1400 hours, 2 000 people had voted. They refused top give out the numbers of those turned away.
14:23 – In HobHouse Chikanga Dangamvura constituency at Sacred Heart, voters are complaining over the slow pace of service. Some said they arrived as early as 7am but they are still in the long queue. About 500 people have been served so far.
13:45: In Chipinge South MDC-T candidate Meki Makuyana alleges that voting started around 9-10 because there was a mix up on his face and that of Zanu-Ndonga candidate Wilson Kumbula on the MP ballot paper. However ZEC Manicaland Provincial Officer Moffart Masabeya maintained voting started at 7 am though he acknowledged the mix up. He said it was sorted in time vote starting.
13:42: In marondera central MDC T parly candidate Ian Kay is alleging that jomic observers are being ordered to observe proceedings from some 300m away making it impossible for them to undertake their mandate. Further to this, at ward 1 in Dombotombo, each voter was taking an average 10 minites to be served which may result in many failing to vote.
13:40: 18 people had been assisted to vote at Chizungu school in Epworth. Several were turned away for coming to the wrong ward. 847 people had voted by 13:30 at Chizungu A and B.
Record from 9 am to 13:00 pm wiped due to suspected website attack
8.00 am
‘I cast my vote at 7.04am today. Thousands of determined Zimbabweans are braving the icy weather to do the same. My sisters and brothers – are you doing your civic duty? If you don’t vote, I don’t wanna hear no complaints!’ Irene Petras, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
‘God is in control. Polling officers and party agents joining hands and committing this day and process to God in prayer@Rujeko Admin Block, Masvingo Urban, Precious Chakasikwa, Zimbabwean lawyer and Observer
‘I am at Zengeza Primary School right now!!The mood is so thick you can cut with a hacksaw-Change is sweeping across the country as I write and everyone brought their EVERSHARP’ – Someone from Zengeza
