22 | Zimbabwe Rule of Law Journal invoke section 62 (2) of the 2013 Constitution to request access to the national voters’ roll. Conclusion Access to the national voter’s roll is guaranteed as a constitutional right. This right is derived from the governance framework as entrenched in the 2013 Constitution. This framework requires that the exercise of all public power and the discharge of all public functions must be done in a manner that is open to the public, and the State must be accountable to its citizens. The right of access to any information held by the State is a constitutional right which citizens are entitled to use in order to enforce public transparency and accountability. It is a mechanism provided by the Constitution to give effect to the underlying values of transparency and accountability. Therefore the citizens may request access to the national voters’ roll in order to foster transparency in the manner in which ZEC manages and maintains the national voters’ roll. In addition, the right of access to information is a leverage right, which can be used to access information necessary to exercise or protect other rights. The right to a free and fair election implies the right to know if the elections have been free and fair or are going to be free and fair. This right may only be exercised if a citizen has access to the national voter’s roll.  

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