Harare, 14 March, 2023 / 10:25 am (ACI Africa).
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJPZ), an entity of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC), is calling on citizens of the Southern African nation to register as voters to be able to exercise their “duty as responsible citizens” in this year’s general election.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) started its final Biometric Voter Registration blitz on March 12. The exercise is expected to conclude on March 21.
In a March 11 statement, CCJPZ officials say the election, whose date is yet to be announced by Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is a moment of communal discernment just like the Synod on Synodality.
“The blitz can be understood as the window period for people to register to vote before the elections. We encourage every person above eighteen (18) years, including Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), youths and women to be part of this constitutional and democratic process,” CCJPZ officials say.
The registration exercise “is a call inviting us to exercise our duty as responsible citizens,” they further say.