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Youths welcome electoral reforms
Youth Forum
November 13, 2012

Youths have welcomed the electoral reforms that have been adopted by the parliament as a positive move towards free and fair elections, but have hastened to encourage a speedy and full implementation of these reforms if their goals are to be realised.

The young men and women of Zimbabwe said this at a discussion forum that was arranged by the Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) in Harare last week. The meeting was attended by youths from various walks of life from different parts of the country. Also in attendance were Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) officials including ZEC Commissioner Professor Geoff Feltoe.

Need for Full Implementation of Reforms

The youths who attended the forum said while the reforms themselves were very important and could push toward having acceptable free and fair elections, there was need to ensure that the reforms are fully implemented and respected.

"Reforms alone will not achieve their desired results: they must be properly applied and enforced. For example, reforms to combat electoral violence and intimidation need to be backed up by vigorous and impartial enforcement of this law by the law enforcement agencies and a strong commitment by the respective political parties to refrain from these acts" said a participant.

Constitution Referendum: Do not need to be a registered voter to vote

Professor Feltoe gave a presentation on the major talking points of the amendment to ensure that all attendants understood what the reforms were about.

Commissioner Feltoe also dwelt on the Referendum Act, as we are moving towards a constitutional referendum as a final stage in the prolonged constitutional reform process, and of importance to the youths present and away, some of whom are voter educators, was the fact that any Zimbabwean who is above the age of 18 can vote in a referendum, and need not be a registered voter.

Whilst many youths are not registered as voters, they have a lifeline in participating in deciding whether to adopt the constitution that was written by the current parliamentarians as the supreme law of the nation to be used for the next hundreds of years or to demand another process that will be inclusive and respect the wishes of the general Zimbabweans. For any young person above 18 years to do this, all they have to do is satisfy the presiding officer of a polling station that he or she is 18 years or above & is eligible to be registered as a voter on the voter's roll.
Professor Feltoe emphasized "However, this does not mean young people should stop from register as voters as there are other electoral processes that will take place outside the referendum."

Diaspora Vote

Young people also questioned the disregard that is given to the diaspora vote in the reforms, considering that many young people left the country to seek better livelihoods outside the country, and still need to have a say on the way their country of origin is run.

Secrecy not maintained

Visually impaired youths also questioned the retaining of the presiding officer in the polling booth, purportedly to ensure that a trusted lieutenant will respect the wish of the visually impaired voter. "the reason to bring a trusted friend or relative was to maintain secrecy" lamented Masimba Kuchera, a visually impaired voter, saying the presence of the presiding officer destroys the concept of secrecy.

Independence and Power of Special Electoral Courts

Also of concern to the young Zimbabweans was the issue of electoral courts that will be set in all the country's provinces. Whilst the idea of setting up the special courts to speed up prosecution and trials of cases mainly related to political violence whenever an election is called, the concern was around the composition of these courts and the power they have.

"We have had courts all along, and they have failed to deal with issues of political violence to date, who will appoint members of these special courts and do we have any guarantee that they will have enough power to deal with cases arising from political issues?" was a question posed for Professor Feltoe who, however, allayed all fears after reassuring the more than 70 youths who attended the event that these courts will be appointed on a non-partisan basis and will have the same powers with all current magistrates courts.

More Updates on Reforms Coming

The Youth Forum is currently compiling the major reforms from the Electoral Amendment Act and will make these public for many youths to ensure that Zimbabwe's young men and women know their rights and responsibilities when it comes to elections. For the few coming weeks, the Youth Forum Information Department shall serialize these reforms in articles to be published on a number of media to ensure that all youths, especially those in marginalised areas, also get to know about these reforms.

Visit the Youth Forum fact sheet

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