SADC Says Zimbabwe Elections Conform to Regional Principles, Guidelines

SADC Observer Mission to Zimbabwe Chairperson Advocate Notemba Tjipuejan of Namibia. The mission said the elections were free and fair., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Polls conform to regional principles, guidelines: Sadc

August 2, 2013
Zimbabwe Herald

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
THE African Union and the Sadc Electoral Commissions Forum Observer Mission comprising poll commissions from 10 Sadc member-states yesterday endorsed the harmonised elections, saying they reflected the will of the people and conformed to the region’s principles and guidelines on democratic elections. Head of the African Union Observer Mission, former Nigerian president General Olusegun Obasanjo upheld the credibility of the polls as he bade farewell to President Mugabe at State House in Harare yesterday afternoon; while head of the Sadc Electoral Commissions Forum Advocate Notemba Tjipuena spoke as she addressed the media at the ZEC Command Centre in Harare yesterday.

Adv Tjipuena, who chairs the Electoral Commission of Namibia, leads a team of observers drawn from the electoral commissions of Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zanzibar. Fielding questions after presenting the Sadc EF preliminary statement, Adv Tjipuena said the harmonised elections conformed to Sadc guidelines and principles governing democratic elections

“We are fully assured that the elections were held in accordance with the guidelines of Sadc,’’ she said.

Adv Tjipuena commended ZEC, all political parties, candidates and Zimbabweans for the peaceful, credible and efficient electoral process.

“The mission learned that ZEC authorised 65 956 members of the security forces and armed forces and commission staff. It further learnt that 37 108 voted and that 26160 did not vote. Many stakeholders raised concerns on the manner in which the special vote was conducted, which led to the disenfranchisement of a substantial number of eligible voters in this category.

The mission applauds ZEC for the bold step taken to seek permission from the Constitutional Court for the affected voters to be allowed to vote during the general elections.”

She hailed ZEC for measures that were taken to guard against double voting before the commencement of the general elections at all polling stations.

Adv Tjipueja commended ZEC on the postal vote accorded to eligible voters working in the service of the Government abroad but said diaspora voting was impractical.

“The mission noted that the new Constitution entitled many people living in Zimbabwe who were previously classified as ‘aliens’ to register for citizenship. ZEC collaborated with civil society organisations to carry out voter education throughout the country and the commendable efforts of ZEC in the area of voter education is clearly manifested in the high number of voters registered for this election,” she said.

Adv Tjipueja said the mission was satisfied with the general calm and peaceful atmosphere which prevailed throughout the period it observed the 2013 harmonised elections.

“The Mission notes with appreciation the establishment of an independent, non-political Zimbabwe Media Commission which ensures that the people have fair and wide access to information. In this regard the mission noted with satisfaction the existence of the media monitoring committee chaired by ZEC to give effect to this statutory mandate,” she said.

Adv Tjipueja said her team was satisfied with the security during political rallies and voting stations before, during and after the harmonised elections.

She commended ZEC for transparency and stakeholder engagement and notably the design of voter education material in Braille.

General Obasanjo reiterated the assessments of the continental bloc’s Long-Term Observer Mission hailing the preparations and peace that characterised the elections.

“You know in our part of the world when it’s time to leave you have to come to the king and say farewell so I have come. I have been able to witness an election that is free, yes there are incidences here and there but they are not incidences that will flaw the election to the point of not reflecting the will of the people of this country, so we wish all the people of this country all the best,” he said.

Gen Obasanjo jetted into the country last weekend to lead the AU observer mission to the country and expressed satisfaction with the preparations for the polls.

The AU Long Term Observer Mission that came into the country in June also commended Zimbabwe’s preparations for the polls saying the country had managed to create an environment conducive for a transparent election.

The assessment by the AU came on the heels of similar commendations from various local and regional groups that have expressed their satisfaction with the manner the harmonised elections were organised.

A number of Western diplomats also commended Zimbabweans for upholding peace before the elections.

The assessment by the groups flies in the face of the MDC-T that has made numerous unsubstantiated claims on the country’s state of preparedness ahead of and during the elections.

So far the Sadc observer mission, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, diplomats from the African Caribbean Pacific countries, Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa together with the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and Sadc Commissions Forum (ECF) have endorsed the elections as free, fair and legitimate.