1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio
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the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [as previously was the case], it is instructive to note that the<br />
Committee cannot accredit a person if the Foreign Minister objects to such person observing<br />
the <strong>election</strong> which in essence means that the law gives veto powers to the Minister. ZEC is<br />
therefore not responsible for determining which groups to accredit. Rather, the Minister for<br />
Justice, Parliamentary and Legal Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs respectively first<br />
approve applications by domestic and international organizations. This has shortchanged many<br />
credible international organizations that are signatories to Declaration of Principles for<br />
International Observers. Further, the fact that accreditation was only conducted in Harare and<br />
Bulawayo, placed greater hardships on individuals who wanted to serve the people of<br />
Zimbabwe by being a non-partisan <strong>election</strong> observer.<br />
Local observers were required to apply for an invitation from the Minister of Justice before<br />
seeking accreditation. Up to 11 June, only international and regional observers and the media<br />
had been accredited. Limits were placed on the number of people that ZESN could field to the<br />
ministry for accreditation, the number effectively reduced from over 8667 in the harmonized<br />
<strong>election</strong> to 500 in the presidential run –off, a development that posed a serious risk to the ability<br />
of civil society to monitor and observe <strong>election</strong>s in order to identify anomalies in the electoral<br />
process especially on polling day. Late invitations of civil society organizations also had a<br />
negative impact on the invitation of observers, their accreditation and deployment. Equally<br />
disturbing was ZEC’s decision to scale down the numbers of local observers that were placed<br />
by the Minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs was a disturbing development. Also<br />
questionable was why the accreditation of foreign observer missions was extended while the<br />
same privilege was denied to local observers. As a result ZESN did not field any accredited<br />
observers for the run off. Since ZEC had published polling stations in excess of 9231, this<br />
warranted more observers. To improve <strong>election</strong> observation, it is recommended that the<br />
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission have the decisive say on which observers to accredit without<br />
any ministerial veto power as is currently the case, decentralize to districts, easy way of<br />
accreditation, and sponsoring the security of NGOs and human rights defenders. The Electoral<br />
Commission must also accredit sufficient numbers of local and international observers to allow<br />
comprehensive observation of <strong>election</strong>s. This function should lie solely in the hands of the ZEC<br />
and should be done without any cherry-picking of observers. The security of independent and<br />
domestic <strong>election</strong> observers must be guaranteed.<br />
NGOs and Human Rights Defenders<br />
Human Rights NGOs also bore the brunt of retributive violence. There was widespread<br />
harassment of observers, human rights lawyers, journalists and others who were thought to be<br />
either sympathetic to the opposition or did not give adequate coverage to the ruling party. Civil<br />
society and the work they do should be accorded more respect as it is important for democratic<br />
principles to take root in Zimbabwe. Attacks on civil society organizations in Zimbabwe should<br />
be condemned as they are a violation of the right of Zimbabweans to have a voice.<br />
Security Forces<br />
Reports of police, army and prison officers playing partisan roles recur throughout the ten<br />
provinces. Cases where acts of violence have been committed either directly by state services<br />
or in their full view have also been fully documented. The police in line with their mandates of<br />
impartial application of law must act swiftly and decisively in dealing with the perpetrators in<br />
accordance with the law. It is therefore recommended that:<br />
• Security forces should conduct themselves in a professional and non-partisan<br />
manner and should not serve the interests of individual political parties. The<br />
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