Zimbabwe Parliament introduces biometric registration for MPs

Zimbabwe’s Parliament is to introduce a new biometric registration system for both Members of Parliament and Senators as well as parliamentary staff.

The system is expected to go live on 3 April and will enhance ease access into the building for both MPs and staff.

They will be able to enter the building even without IDs once registered on the system.

Fingerprint scanners have been installed at entrances to Parliament.

The system will generate an electronic attendance register of both sittings of the Houses and committee meetings, thus reducing the prevalence of human error in recording the attendance of MPs. 

According to Veritas it is hoped that the system will prevent token attendance by MPs for only a few minutes.

Some legislators only attend Parliament for a few minutes and then rush off to do their private business just to have the register marked.

Zimbabwe is also to introduce biometric voter registration for the 2018 elections to reduce fraud but the programme is already under severe criticism because it is being funded by the government instead of the United Nations Development Programme.

Opposition parties fear that the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front will manipulate the system to allow it to rig the elections if it loses like it did nearly 10 years ago.

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