By Political Reporter – The ruling Zanu PF party has unveiled plans for a sweeping Constitutional Amendment Bill that could set the stage for manipulating the 2028 election.
The proposed changes would shift control of the voter registration process from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Civil Registry Department (CRD), raising concerns about election integrity and echoing past vote-rigging tactics allegedly employed by former Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede.
For decades, Mudede played a central role in manipulating voter rolls in favour of Zanu PF, exploiting the names of deceased individuals to inflate votes through “ghost voters.”
By maintaining outdated or inaccurate records, he could ensure that the names of deceased citizens remained on the voters’ roll, allowing votes to be cast in their names to secure Zanu PF’s electoral dominance.
This approach not only skewed election results but also eroded public trust in the electoral process, as the lack of transparent voter roll management facilitated widespread manipulation.
The proposed automated system would use biometric data and ID information collected by the CRD to register all Zimbabweans automatically upon reaching 18 years old.
Unlike previous systems where ZEC maintained the voters’ roll, the new law would give the CRD – under direct government control – authority over voter registration and roll management.
Once registered, citizens would be assigned polling stations based on their ID application address, with the option to update addresses if they relocate.
Although the CRD has indicated plans to remove deceased individuals automatically using death certificate data, many fear that such a shift could re-enable historic vote-rigging tactics.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has defended the proposed changes, emphasizing the intent to streamline voter registration and ensure a complete voter roll.
“The proposal is to transfer the role of voter registration to the Registrar-General’s Office, which maintains records from birth to death,” he said.
However, the automated nature of the new system and its reliance on government-held records evoke concerns that Zanu PF could exploit it to manipulate outcomes.
By embedding registration within the CRD, the government could potentially control voter assignments, suppress opposition strongholds, and revive ghost-voter tactics.
With Zimbabwe’s history of disputed elections and allegations of electoral manipulation, many opposition leaders and civil society groups view this proposed law as yet another tool for Zanu PF to entrench its power.
The question of whether the CRD will act impartially remains open, especially given the long-standing relationship between state institutions and Zanu PF’s political interests.
As the bill progresses, it will face intense scrutiny from both domestic and international observers, who see it as a critical test for Zimbabwe’s democratic processes ahead of the 2028 election.