Mugabe amends electoral laws
2008-03-18 19:13
Special Report
Four Chinese men face deportation from Zimbabwe after they were arrested for killing more than 40 tortoises for meat, a report says.
A dusty road leads to the village of Wedza, where veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation war eke out a meagre living on their farm cooperative, which after a promising start now brings only despair.
Harare - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has amended electoral laws to allow policemen into polling stations later this month to "assist" illiterate people to vote, state radio said on Tuesday.
The amendment, which was published as a presidential proclamation on Monday, comes less than two weeks ahead of make-or-break polls on March 29.
The amendment appears to backtrack on changes agreed at recently during South African-brokered talks that restricted police from doubling up as election officers.
Under the electoral laws, police were not to be allowed within 100 metres of a polling station to avoid intimidating voters.
"Section 59 of the act has also been amended and will allow two electoral officers and a police officer on duty to assist semi- literate voters," the radio quoted part of the presidential proclamation as saying.
Voters who are "physically incapacitated" will also be assisted to vote by two electoral officials and a policeman, the report said. The radio did not say why the laws had been changed. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA