Zimbabwe outlaws prison voting in 2018 national elections

HARARE, Aug. 14– The Zimbabwe government has barred prisoners
from voting in next year’s elections, arguing it is not provided for in the
law.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs Virginia Mabhiza was quoted by the state-run Herald newspaper
Friday as saying that Zimbabwe’s Electoral Act was a law of general
application that can lawfully limit the right to vote. The permanent
secretary was responding to a High Court application by three activists
from the opposition MDC-T party who had applied for prisoners to be allowed
to vote. The three activists are serving 20 years in jail for murdering a
police officer.

Mabhiza said the only remedy for the trio was to engage parliament to
change the law.The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) also supported
Mabhiza’s view, pointing out that the electoral body cannot go beyond the
bounds of what is prescribed in terms of the law. “The issue that has been
brought before this court by the applicants may be one that requires a
legislative solution and not a judicial one,” read part of ZEC chairperson
Rita Makarau’s affidavit. The government has also barred Zimbabweans in the
Diaspora to vote from outside the country, arguing it was not provided for
in the law.The position has been criticized by opposition political parties
as an infringement to Zimbabweans’ constitutional right to vote.

Zimbabweans go to polls mid next year to choose the country’s president,
members of parliament and local government councilors. President Robert
Mugabe, 93, will seek re-election for a second and final term after he was
endorsed by his ruling ZANU-PF party as its presidential candidate. The
veteran leader has since begun campaign rallies around the country as he
seeks to drum up support for himself and the party.-XINHUA