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Towards the 2005 election
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
Extracted from Crisis in Zimbabwe Weekly Update
May 31-June 06, 2004

The Coalition believes that Zimbabwe needs an independent electoral body to administer credible elections in which every participant has free access to both the electronic and print public media in the country.

There is a need for a new constitution that envisages democratic institutions such as an independent electoral commission, an independent judiciary and a diverse but free media among a plethora of democratic bodies.

It is in this vein that the Coalition supports the efforts of the National Constitutional Assembly’s efforts to fight for a democratic supreme law of the land that safeguards the fundamental rights of all citizens.

In this regard, the Coalition supports this week’s efforts by the NCA leadership to seek an audience with President Mugabe to discuss its petition for a new constitution and the holding of free and fair elections among some of its demands for holding credible parliamentary elections next year.

Such efforts should be applauded because they show that the NCA, in its quest to see a better governed Zimbabwe, does not only engage in acts of civil disobedience but is also opening avenues of peace dialogue with the Head of State. President Mugabe should not close such windows because they assist in the peaceful resolution of the political quagmire our country has been grappling with for the past five years.

It is the Coalition’s belief that while it is proper for President Robert Mugabe to tell the nation, in a televised interview, that elections will be held in March next year, it would be more prudent and in the national good for him to sit down with civic, church and opposition political parties and define parameters under which those elections will be held.

It is the view of the Coalition that if the next elections are held under the current constitutional and legal dispensation, Zimbabweans and the international community will disregard the process and outcome.

President Mugabe could also do more by implementing SADC protocols on free and fair elections and the existence of an independent media. He should prove to the world and his countrymen and women that he is not allergic to democratic processes in his administration of the country.

The country will remain a pariah state and the crisis of governance will deepen. It is therefore critical that Mugabe as one of the critical individuals in the politics of Zimbabwe use his influence to bring back law and order in the country.

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