Photo: IRIN

General elections are slated for July.

Ahead of Zimbabwe's referendum slated for Saturday, March 16, 2013, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has outlined the code of conduct for observers.

Acting chairperson Mrs. Joyce Kazembe said yesterday that vote counting in the constitutional referendum will be done at polling stations immediately after voting closes and the results will be displayed outside the particular polling stations soon after, the overall outcome would be announced within five days by the chief elections officer.

After this, the polling station returns will be transmitted to the national command centre via the ward, constituency, district and provincial command centres once the counting and transmission process has been completed, the chief elections officer will then declare the results of the referendum."

Briefing journalists, observers and stakeholders in Harare on ZEC's preparedness to conduct the referendum, Mrs.Kazembe said the set up at all the polling stations would be complete by tomorrow with the number of polling stations having been increased from 9,449 to 9,456 after discovering new areas that needed to be covered.

Observers, Mrs. Kazembe said,are expected to carry out their observation duties "diligently, impartially and professionally" as no one was allowed to capture pictures in the polling stations, while the use of cell phones in the station was prohibited only media personnel are allowed to take pictures, but not those of people marking their ballot papers.

Referendum regulations have the provisions specifying the maximum number of observers who can be inside a polling station at the same time that is four observers who may be representing one or different organizations.