Press Statement By The MDC|The MDC is concerned by revelations made by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) recently that Braille ballot papers are not likely to be available for visually impaired voters in the forthcoming elections.
Accorring to media reports, ZEC Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba has admitted that the electoral body has not bothered to do a survey to determine the number of voters who read Braille and would require special ballot papers. The admission is quite shocking, coming a few months away from the polls.
We ask, from the last election (2013) was the commission not aware that a significant part of the electorate constitutes visually impaired voters and would require such material? Is this a deliberate ploy to sideline one voting block? Zec is disenfranchising the visually impaired electorate which in no doubt is eager and willing to vote for real change in the upcoming elections.
Failure to introduce disability friendly voting material is not in line with free and fair electoral practice. Our reading into this is that, ZEC is not adequately prepared to run the polls.
Granted, in the absence of Braille ballot papers, the electoral law has provisions for the blind to be assisted to vote by officers presiding over polling stations in the presence of a police officer and agents of contesting political parties, however this is not adequate or safe.
MDC implores ZEC to introduce disability friendly voting material, which allows the visually impaired, the deaf and dumb as well as the wheelchair bound to cast their votes without much assistance from the able-bodied as this at times compromises their constitutional right to secret voting.
Is there a guarantee that at polling stations, ZEC will deploy officers who can use sign language and ramps erected for voters on wheelchairs?
As MDC, we call on ZEC to urgently address this matter to guard against a repeat of 2013 polls which saw a large number of votes stolen through the so called ‘assisted votes’.
Kurauone Chihwayi
MDC National Spokesperson