ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK BIOMETRIC VOTER REGISTRATION UPDATE – NUMBER 5 Harare – 13 October 2017 - ZESN has deployed observers under the first phase of the Biometric Voter Registration blitz and this update is based on reports received from all the 10 provinces where registration is currently taking place. Intimidation of observers Of concern to ZESN are numerous reports of accredited observers being intimidated for observing the BVR process and in some instances being denied access to the centres by ward councillors and alleged members of ZANU PF. For instance in Ward 6 Chipinge Central, a ZESN observer was threatened and intimidated by the Ward councillor and his supporters resulting in the centre being closed by the registration officials who felt the situation was threatening to get out of hand. In Epworth Ward 2 at the Local Board, a physically challenged ZESN observer was forced out of a registration center by a ZANU PF Ward councillor. The Councillor insisted that observers should not be granted access into the registration centre. Efforts to get registration officials to intervene were fruitless. Another instance was reported in Ward 10 of Mwenezi West, where the ZESN observer was denied access to a registration center by the registration officials, who insisted that in addition to being accredited by the Commission, the observer needed additional clearance from the ZEC district offices. Challenges with voter registration At most of the registration centres where ZESN observers were stationed the BVR equipment functioned well, there were however reports of equipment failure at some of the registration centres. For instance, in Chipinge East Ward 14 at Nyamadzi primary School the laptop malfunctioned in the morning and had not been fixed by the end of day yesterday. Reports from Ward 4 in Umzingwane district showed that registration officials faced challenges in setting up the solar system to power the BVR equipment. In Ward 2 Gokwe Kabuyuni, ZESN has received reports that VR1 forms have run out at Mareka Centre resulting in potential registrants being told to go home and return to the centre tomorrow. Commissioners of Oath ZESN continued to observe that Commissioners of Oath were not present at most registration centres. A registrant would need to look for a Commissioner of Oaths and pay

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