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We are an impartial institution: Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
New African
February 26, 2008

Zimbabweans go to the polls in March 2008 in elections harmonized for the first time since independence. Instead of holding presidential, parliamentary and local government elections separately in different years, this time all three elections will be held on the same day. Caesar Zvayi spoke to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairman, Justice George Chiweshe, to find out how it is gearing up for the big day.

Question: Before ZEC was formed, elections were run by several bodies among them, the Registrar General's Offices, the Elections Directorate, the Delimitation Commission and Electoral Supervisory Commission. To what extent has ZEC integrated those functions?

Justice Chiweshe: Let me start with the Delimitation Commission, that function still remains with the Delimitation Commission in terms of the Constitution; it has not been transferred to ZEC. You will recall that main function of the Elections Directorate was to co-ordinate the logistical aspect of the elections; that function has been transferred to ZEC in its entirety.

The Registrar General's Office, you will also recall, used to conduct elections, to ensure that everything was in place; the conduct of the elections has been transferred totally to us, but the Registrar General is still responsible for the registration of voters and compilation of the voters' rolls.

But he does so under our direction and supervision, so in essence we have taken over all his functions, although in some aspects we have done so in a supervisory role.

As for the Electoral Supervisory Commission (ESC), that has been completely transferred to ZEC. We have also taken over quite a number of their staff plus two of their commissioners.

Question: In their report for the Senate elections and the Gutu North House of Assembly by-election two years ago, the ESC recommended the registration of political parties with ZEC to discourage the emergence of rogue parties at election time. How did you receive that recommendation, and are you likely to consider it?

Answer: It was never specifically put to the present or the past ZEC, it's something that we read about in their report, they never really came to us with a specific proposal. It's a matter that we as a Commission have not discussed.

But, again, I am expressing here my personal opinion, I do not think we should have parties being registered. The present system is much more democratic and also brings ease of administration, you form your own party, you announce in the newspapers, and that's it. I don't see anything wrong with that.

Question: The opposition has expressed concern that it is Zanu-PF, though the government, that seems to be dictating the pace yet it is only a competitor on the electoral field. They claim you are not as independent as you claim to be as you let Zanu-PF make key electoral decisions. How do you respond to those sentiments?

Answer: Well the first part of the question is a political statement, I wouldn't know how to respond to it, I will leave it to politicians to talk to each other.

As for the independence of the Commission, I would like to assure the nation that the Commission operates in an independent fashion. Its independence is enshrined in the Constitution and in fact there is a provision in the Constitution that specifically says that in the exercise of our functions, the Commission shall not be under the direction or control of anyone, and it means exactly that.

The Commission has always asserted its independence and we are committed to upholding that independence. We are also committed to be an impartial, transparent election-management body that runs credible elections for the benefit of our country.

Question: On the question of voters, there has been a proposal, again from the opposition that people should not vote in constituencies but should only use their identity cards as was done in 1980. What is ZEC's position on that?

Answer: I assume that what they are really saying is: "Shouldn't we have proportional representation as a system of electing our MPs instead of the current first-past-the-post system?" That is a matter of policy. It's also a matter that can be resolved through laws to that effect, if that is what Parliament wants. We are there to implement laws and we have no comment either way as to how they debate it. It's an open question, and not one for the Commission to discuss.

Question: During the last general elections, there were many spoiled papers, over 60,000 countrywide, while over 130,000 people were turned away for various reasons, including turning up in the wrong constituencies. Now, some of the constituencies may be split, what is ZEC doing or going to do to curb potential confusion?

Answer: Firstly, there is the question of delimitation; secondly there is the question of the intention of government. We read that they intend to increase the number of constituencies, but that's all we know. There have not been any laws to that effect, again until that proposal is adopted by Parliament, it's premature for us to comment on it.

But in the event that it is adopted, and in any other event for that matter, we are always concerned about spoiled papers, particularly when the number is as high as you have quoted.

We are always concerned about voters going to the wrong constituencies because they would be turned away.

We would of course intensify voter education and in this regard that function should not be left to the Commission alone, it is also the function of the political parties and the candidates.

They should have an interest in this respect because it is them who want to be elected into office, and if voters do not go to the right constituency, they will, of course lose their votes. We have a constitutional duty to educate people on the boundaries, on how the process is conducted, and what is required of them. But it is not the duty of the Commission alone.

Question: When is voter registration going to start?

Answer: Voter registration is a continuous process, people can and are able to register anytime, so I urge them to do so.

Question: Since assuming your duties at ZEC, you have observed elections in various countries, how does our own system compare with what you encountered in other countries.

Answer: Well, our observations have mostly been in countries within the SADC, and you are aware that as a region we adopted the SADC principles and guidelines governing the conduct of democratic elections, and our legislation is actually based on those principles. So our systems are essentially very similar, and our system compares very well with any other in the region.

Where we have the edge is in the area of human resources. Our literacy rate is very high, so we have a lot of people that we tend to call upon to become constituency election officers, presiding officers, polling officers, back-up staff, etc. In that area, we definitely have the edge over most countries in the region. There is always room for improvement of course.

Question: Any message to Zimbabweans?

Answer: The Commission is building up its capacity, it's now three years old, it has achieved a lot and I think it has performed to everybody's expectations. We welcome constructive suggestions on how we can improve on our performance, on our systems.

We are not a political player, we are a national institution, we serve everybody regardless of who they are, regardless of any perceptions they might have, we are impartial, and we do our best to ensure that we run elections in an impartial and transparent manner.

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