Ray Nkosi | Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Rita Marau, says her commission never promised to use any electronic means of voting for the 2018 elections.

Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, Makarau said the biometric system will only be used in voter registration and not in the actual voting.

The surprise new development from the elections commission will likely cause more confusion to the electorate and opposition parties who have been preparing for an electronic system of vetting voters in the elections to avoid multiple voting which has dented previous elections in the country.

Makarau said that the biometric system will only be confined to the registration process leaving the actual voting system as was in the much disputed 2013 election. She said that the new technology will only be used to compile a new voters roll which will eliminate ghost voters that have been hinted in previous election.

“Only living people will be in the voters roll as no dead person will ever be able to walk to register in the voters roll,” she said.

Makarau warned that people who will not register in the new biometric based voters roll will not be allowed to vote in 2018.

According to Makarau ZEC has not yet awarded the tender to supply the equipment and method to be used in the registration process. She said that her commission is still waiting on potential tenders to complete the process which should be ready by March for voters to start registering.

“We will have a trial run in February before opening up for the registration process in March,” she said.