By A Correspondent- State security agents have been accused of forcing polling agents and observers to amend V11 forms used in the 23 and 24 August Harmonised Elections elections amid allegations of rigging.

The V11 forms are signed by all polling agents to confirm results per polling station.

The Elections Resources Centre (ERC), a civil society organisation (CSO), claimed that its observers are being harassed and ordered to sign new V11 forms. It said:

The observers informed our offices that they were being summoned to polling locations to sign new V11 results forms as there allegedly were errors on previous ones.

In other instances, they were summoned to surrender phones used to communicate with ERC offices on election day.

While the majority of observers have been contacted telephonically, the ERC notes concerning cases in Kariba, Karoi and Makoni where observers have been physically visited at their homes with these requests.

As per the legislative framework on elections, V11 forms by now should be sealed in boxes, which contain election residue and cannot be reopened unless someone requests a recount.

Further, it is through an election petition that the court orders the reopening of election residue to solve an electoral outcome dispute.

CCC deputy elections officer Ellen Shiriyedenga told The Standard that the party has instructed its polling agents to report to their polling stations, but not to sign new forms. She said:

We said that they should go, but what’s important, however, is that once results were declared and announced, no change should be made to the V11 or the V23 forms, which is contrary to what has been declared.

They will go, but they will not sign or agree to have ballot boxes reopened.

We told them that they should refuse unless it is a question of clerical errors and not any alterations as projected in the V11 and V23 forms.

Last week, Police arrested 39 ERC and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) observers on charges of planning to prematurely announce election results.

The observers were granted US$$200 bail each on Friday.

The arrests were condemned by the United Kingdom and United States embassies as well as by some election observer missions.