by Bayano Valy – SANF 05 no 27
The main observer mission to the 31 March parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe says the campaign is being conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and the “positive” conduct of elections could influence the management of future polls in the region.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has deployed observers throughout Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces since 14 March, and expects to cover all the 120 constituencies ahead of the poll.
The observers file daily reports and it is based on these findings on the ground that it has said that the political climate is peaceful and conducive to the holding of elections.
“We have been able to meet all the parties and the situation is quiet,” the head of the SADC observer mission, South Africa’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, Pumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, told journalists.
“If there have been any issues raised, we have been able to refer them to the police or the Electoral Commission,” she said, following a courtesy call on President Robert Mugabe.
This initial assessment has been echoed by other observer missions already in the field. More than 500 international observers have been accredited to observe the elections, along with some 200 local election monitors, and more than 200 journalists.
All observer missions are expected to give their reports following the conduct of the poll but before the results are known.
A member of the SADC observer mission said the Zimbabwe government has showed its commitment to abide by the region’s own guidelines for democratic elections, by moving rapidly to change its legislation. This was done through parliament which has strong representation from both government and opposition parties.
Zimbabwe is the first country to formally align its legal structure for elections with the Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, approved last year by SADC heads of state and government.
Although there were elections in Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique in late 2004, following the adoption of the SADC electoral guidelines, there was not sufficient time to comply.
Zimbabwe has changed its electoral laws by adopting the Electoral Commission Act and the Electoral Act, as well as other electoral regulations.
The acts inform the management of the country’s institutions, namely the Delimitation Commission which marks constituency boundaries; the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission which is a new independent authority to administer elections and referenda; and the Electoral Supervisory Commission charged with supervising registration of voters and the conduct of elections.
The Zimbabwe government is determined not only to run the elections in a credible manner but to be “seen” to do so, thus the preoccupation with coverage by the international media which has flocked into the country.
Critics in Europe and North America used imperfections in the last election to impose “smart” sanctions such as travel bans on the leadership, but in reality full economic sanctions were imposed as the major donors and the international financial institutions withdrew their support.
This caused pressure on the economy and the currency, with inflation running over 600 percent before it was brought down rapidly by a new Reserve Bank Governor with a closely monitored monetary policy.
A member of the SADC observer mission told SANF that Zimbabwe’s case was complex owing to pressures by former colonial ruler Britain to have countries impose sanctions on allegations that the government is undemocratic.
“If Zimbabwe passes the test, which we feel it will, it will give a positive signal that will reflect well on future regional elections,” he said.
This is the fifth multi-party parliamentary election held in Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. Prior to 1980, in the then British colony of Southern Rhodesia, the voters roll included only the white population and a handful of black citizens who were deemed worthy to vote due to their accumulation of wealth and property, both of which were out of reach of the majority of the population.
The country’s parliamentary elections have been contested regularly every five years while the presidential poll comes every six years, with the next one due in 2008.
“There are issues which are still viewed as problematic by some civic organisations, the security act and the access to information act, but we can’t demand of Zimbabwe to thoroughly address these issues in these elections,” he said, adding that there is evidence that both the security and access to information act are hardly used.
There are some critical areas which Zimbabwe can improve, he said, but it was encouraging that all political stakeholders have agreed that there has been a significant improvement in preparations for elections.
The SADC observer mission has investigated some cases of detention, but rather than being politically motivated, he said that the mission found that they were clear violations of the electoral law and should be dealt with as such.
The mission also investigated allegations of political intimidation made by the opposition, but “we found no proof of such practices.”
The SADC observers are well trained in spotting intimidation, which is considered very easy to verify, but so far had found reports unfounded “because we could find no proof.”
Two other countries are to hold elections in 2005, Mauritius and Tanzania, and probably Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006. (SARDC)
