Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Report — Of Stuffed ballots and Empty Stomachs Mashonaland West Province where the average turn out was 48% of registered voters. The turn out in Manyame, at 59%, was much higher than the provincial average, but not unusual in areas where ZANU(PF) has its strongest support. For example, Mashonaland Central recorded an average of 57%, which would have been even higher but for the 40% in the constituency of Mazoe West. Accordingly, little can be deduced from a few cases of some polling stations showing a sudden increase of voters and a large percentage of ZANU(PF) votes at these polling stations. There are instances where the same occurred with the increases being attributable to large numbers of MDC voters polling at a particular station.76 There would have to be 10 – 20 polling stations falling into this category, or even fewer with a much higher number of ballots before it could be said that stuffing was very likely to have occurred. This is not the case. In fact where MDC election agents’ returns could be compared with the final official result for the constituency, the figures have, in the main, matched.77 Other factors also militate against stuffing having occurred in this way. Firstly, it should be noted that the discrepancies in the ZEC figures did not always show an increase in the total number of votes cast. In several instances there were large deficits. For example, in Zvimba Constituency the final tally was over 7 000 votes less that that originally announced by ZEC. Removing votes, and ensuring that those removed are MDC votes would have been very difficult to accomplish. It is more likely that the initial ZEC figures were based on those communicated by radio or cell phone – both of which are of notoriously poor quality and often providing barely audible means of communication in Zimbabwe. The figures could well have been inaccurately recorded or incomplete. ZECs failure to explain what happened probably stems from the fact that this would expose their close collaboration with Government and the police rather than through any chicanery. Furthermore, if the ballots were stuffed, not during the initial absence of some election agents during the early polling period but during the suspension of counting, this would require that seals on numerous ballot boxes would have had to be broken. There is no evidence of this. The National Elections Logistic Committee was more likely to have been established to receive advance warning of a negative outcome from ZANU(PF)’s perspective and to initiate reactive measures, rather than as a body to manipulate the count at this stage. This then leaves the question of whether thousands of postal votes were “judiciously” allocated to “needy” constituencies. In fact, only just over 7 000 postal votes were applied for, and many 76 For example, Sunningdale District Community Hall recorded 1 996 votes cast, an unusually large number, with 1413 cast for the MDC and 573 for ZANU(PF) (figures supplied by Zimbabwe Citizens Support Group). 77 The conclusion was reached after analysing figures supplied by Zimbabwe Citizens Support Group. It is not possible to include a break down of polling station voting figures in this report. 26