Zimbabwe’s main opposition party on Tuesday told Parliament that authorities have reduced the number of registered voters in urban centres, the party’s traditional stronghold, ahead of next year’s parliamentary polls.
David Coltart, the secretary for legal affairs for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), told Parliament his party believes the number of voters in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo has been cut by 15% since elections in 2002.
”In urban areas there has been a reduction of registered voters, compared to 2002,” Coltart said.
The MDC claims it lost parliamentary polls in 2000 and presidential polls two years later because of intimidation and electoral fraud.
The party has threatened to boycott polls scheduled for next March if President Robert Mugabe does not implement electoral reforms.
”On our analysis, for example in Bulawayo province there is a 15% reduction of voters on the voters’ roll compared to the voters’ roll we had in 2002,” Coltart said.
After being cautioned by the Speaker of Parliament not to make allegations against government officials who were not present to defend themselves, the legislator said his claims were based on a ”preliminary analysis” of the voters’ roll and were not ”an assertion of absolute fact”.
Most ruling-party members were not present in Parliament and debate was adjourned until Wednesday. — Sapa-AFP