The ruling party in Zimbabwe, ZANU PF, has placed a table near a polling station, reportedly for the purpose of conducting an exit polling survey. Party officials stationed at the desk, which includes a former councillor, are collecting voters’ ID numbers and names before they cast their votes. Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono reports that the ZANU is informing voters that the party will be aware of their voting choices. Watch the video below for more.
This action contradicts the regulations recently announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which explicitly prohibits the presence of party-branded materials within a 300-meter radius of a polling station. The following activities are prohibited within a 300-meter radius of every polling station on polling day:
- Public singing, dancing, use of bands, music or loudspeakers;
- Putting on party regalia
- Uttering any slogans;
- Distributing leaflets or pamphlets on behalf of any candidate or political party;
- No cameras or phones are to be used inside the polling station.
- Use or presence of a political party or candidate-branded vehicles;