Zimbabwe completes testing of biometric voter registration kits

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has completed field tests of biometric voter registration (BVR) kits from the two companies bidding for the contract ahead of next year’s elections and is set to present the evaluation report to the State Procurement Board (SPB).

Laxton Group from China and Dermalog Identification Systems of Germany supplied the BVR kits that were being tested. The SPB will make a determination on which company would supply the kits for voter registration ahead of the 2018 harmonized elections.

According to a report by The Herald, the Laxton Group bid is almost $4 million and Dermalog’s is $5.5 million.

Earlier this week the kits underwent water, shock resistance and time testing on the number of voters registered per hour and per day.

The commission will deliberate on the recommendations and comments before making a decision.

The testing process was monitored by representatives from political parties, civil society organizations, government, independent commissions and the media.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  DERMALOG  |  elections  |  Laxton  |  voter registration  |  Zimbabwe