HARARE – The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has shrugged off demands by the US State Department to publish raw data contained in V11 forms from polling stations to authenticate the controversial poll authority’s disputed results tally.
The outcome of Zimbabwean elections held last week was fiercely opposed by the opposition CCC which claimed that ZEC manipulated data to ensure that incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa outpolled his closest challenger Nelson Chamisa of CCC.
In a statement last weekend, the US raised concerns over alleged “systemic bias” and claims that some polling officers were pressured to sign altered polling station result forms, commonly referred to as V11s.
The US department also asked ZEC to publish disaggregated vote results from polling stations.
“We call on the ZEC to make the disaggregated polling station results publicly available to increase confidence in the result tabulation process,” said the department.
CCC data collectors have also challenged the authenticity of ZEC’s presidential vote result.
However, ZEC said on its Twitter – now X – handle Thursday that there was no law compelling it to release such information.
“ZEC is not compelled by the law to publish V11 forms. The map below shows the real performance by presidential candidates during the just ended elections,” ZEC said while publishing a graphic illustration of the poll outcome using colours of competing candidates’ parties.