ZEC staff transfer shifts voter roll control to executive

Zimbabwe's electoral commission is transferring 93 staff to the Civil Registry Department after the Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA3) shifted voter registration powers from ZEC to the Registrar's office, effectively handing control of the voters' roll to the executive branch. ZEC chair Priscilla Chigumba insisted there would be no job losses, stating the move aims to preserve institutional knowledge, as reported by NewZimbabwe.com. Opposition figures warn the transfer concentrates electoral control under the executive, eroding ZEC's independence and undermining the integrity of the voters' roll. The ruling party now directly controls the voter registration process ahead of the 2028 polls, raising fears of manipulation and a rigged election. The core vulnerability: without an independent electoral commission, Zimbabwe's democracy faces a critical test.