SANF 05 no 35
Elections observers for the 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections have begun to issue their preliminary reports, saying the conduct of the elections was “free and fair” and the results are a reflection of “the will of the people”.
Observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the South African government, and the Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF) of SADC countries have all presented their preliminary reports.
The SADC Election Observer Mission, the biggest intergovernmental group at Zimbabwe’s elections, was the first to issue a preliminary report, after a two-week exercise in which 55 observers from 10 countries covered all 120 constituencies. They said the polling process was “open, transparent and professional”.
Headed by South African Minerals and Energy Minister, Pumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the SADC observer mission said they were “impressed by the orderliness and patience of voters, who we believe, were able to express their franchise peacefully, freely and unhindered.”
She said “SADC commends voters for high levels of political tolerance and maturity displayed” during the campaign period and on polling day.
The South African Observer Mission, led by the Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana and comprising representatives from national and provincial legislatures, was put together by President Thabo Mbeki to observe the elections. The mission also had a mandate to intervene on any activity that would undermine the possibility of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.
The South African observers arrived two weeks before polling day, in accordance with regional principles and guidelines governing elections, and deployed more than 50 observers throughout the country, in all provinces.
The mission concluded that the elections “were conducted in line with the laws of the country which by and large conforms to the regional guidelines governing elections.”
They said the political climate in Zimbabwe was “conducive for elections to take place, and the parties and candidates in all provinces had the political space to campaign.”
They received briefings from a variety of stakeholders including the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), political parties and civil society groups, and attended numerous rallies by both of the main political parties.
The South African mission said they intervened on a few occasions to ensure smooth holding of meetings, but “with regard to the alleged use of food distribution as a political tool, our teams were unable to verify the truthfulness of the same where follow-ups were made.
“Concerning the alleged acts of intimidation and the tampering with elections posters, there is general agreement that the police did take action without fear or favour.”
They said conduct of political parties showed much “tolerance and maturity” throughout the process, and the electoral institutions conducted elections “smoothly and efficiently”. They said the polling day “proceeded without any notable irregularities reported, and polling stations processed the voters quicker without people waiting longer on the queues.
“Accordingly, it is the view of the mission that the 2005 parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe reflect the will of the people.”
The Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF) of SADC countries, composed of election management bodies in the region, also concluded that the 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary election was “free and fair.”
The ECF, headed by its Chairperson, Victor Tonchi, who also chairs Namibia’s electoral commission, spent one week in Zimbabwe with 15 observers from electoral management bodies deployed to several provinces. Their teams observed the opening procedures, voting and counting in a total of 65 polling stations in 28 constituencies.
They said they were encouraged by the peaceful environment for the elections, “both in the immediate pre-election phase and the election period” and the high level of compliance with rules and regulations displayed by electoral staff.
“The mission highly commends all the bodies involved in managing the 2005 parliamentary elections for the high standards achieved in the management and administration of the electoral process.”
They noted positive improvements in the legal environment but said there could be improvements in media access, civic education and rationalization of the functions of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Electoral Supervisory Commission.
The conclusion of the ECF was that “the 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary election was free and fair.”
More than 700 local and international observers and some 500 journalists covered Zimbabwe’s sixth multiparty parliamentary elections in which just under 50 percent of the 5.8 million registered voters cast their ballot.
Five political parties contested the 2005 parliamentary elections, but the real race was between the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Zanu PF won the elections with 78 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while the MDC got 41 seats and one seat went to an Independent. (SARDC)
