Voting kicks off- updated

Voting for the 2013 elections kicked off today with special voting for members of the uniformed services and civil servants who will be at work during the proper voting day of 31 July.

The Movement for Democratic Change faction led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai complained that voters for this special vote were inflated in an effort to rig the election and has asked the court to stop the voting.

The High Court will hear the case tomorrow, the second day of voting.

MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti said the number of police officers registered was 69 000 but as Minister of Finance this was almost double those on the payroll. The MDC says only 41 133 members of the police are eligible to vote.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said 69 000 police officers, 2 000 prison officers, 164 soldiers and thousands of election officials would be voting over the two days.

Biti also said 120 000 people registered for postal voting and these are Zimbabweans stationed outside the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not have a staggering 120 000 diplomats stationed at its foreign missions.

In the 2008 elections there were only 5 000 applications for postal voting, Biti said.

ZEC chief Rita Makarau told Star FM radio that her organisation had sent out 120 000 forms but 87 000 had been filled in and some of the applications were rejected.

This year’s elections have been reduced to a fight between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai with the polls for councillors, members of parliament and the senate- which will also conducted the same day- reduced to a pale shadow.

Mugabe has declared the elections a “do or die” struggle though polls have indicated that he has an edge over Tsvangirai.

Polls have been against Tsvangirai but he is attracting huge crowds at his rallies.

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