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The leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change Advocate Nelson Chamisa has added his voice to the growing calls for a diaspora vote.
The CCC leader said that the diaspora has been pouring billions of dollars in remittances and they should be allowed to vote and take part in electoral processes.
“DIASPORA REMITTANCES DESERVE A VOICE..Wherever there is a Zimbabwean Embassy & citizens across the world there must be ZEC officers and infrastructure to allow for the diaspora vote. Political parties and candidates can deploy their election agents.#PREPARE7 #RegisterToVoteZW,'”Chamisa said.
The diaspora vote has generated a lot of debate in recent weeks with the diaspora community piling up the pressure on the government to allow them to vote in 2023 elections.
Last month the Zimbabwe diaspora vote initiative led by Rosewiter Mangiroza petitioned the South African Development Community to put pressure on the government to allow the diaspora community to vote in the upcoming 2023 elections.
However the government has not shown commitment to allow the diaspora.
Section 35 (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that all Zimbabwean ncitizens are equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenshipand are equally subject to the duties and obligations of citizenship.
However the Electoral Act states that only Zimbabwean citizens who are on duty as a member of a disciplined force or as an electoral officer; or on duty in the service of the Government outside Zimbabwe and spouses may vote from abroad via postal vote.
This restriction denies Zimbabwean citizens working abroad the right to vote. Postal voting applies to persons who are ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe and are registered voters on the voters’ roll but are outside the country because their duties require that they be outside Zimbabwe on polling day.
This is a class of people deemed not to have made a conscious decision to leave the country but do so on national duty.
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