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Electoral
reform proposals
Zimbabwe
Election Support Network
April 21, 2009
http://www.zesn.org.zw/newsflash_view.cfm?nfid=41
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Electoral
architecture
Legal
Framework
Some amendments were made to the Electoral
Act in the prior to March 2008 e.g. requiring posting of election
results outside polling stations and constituency tabulation centers
and other relevant pieces of legislation such as POSA,
AIPPA
and the Broadcasting
Act. However these reforms were piecemeal in nature. Furthermore,
there was a reversal to some of the reforms made on the eve of the
29 March election, without the knowledge of the Electoral Commission,
through a presidential proclamation, for instance the requirement
that police officers to be stationed 300 metres from polling stations.
Recommendations
Election
System
While Zimbabwe continues to conduct its elections within the Westminster
system of first past the post [FPTP] based on the "winner-take-all"
model, the unfolding political and leadership challenges in Zimbabwe
can hardly be solved through such winner-take-all, zero sum frameworks.
Besides being exclusionary, they generate tension in an environment
already pregnant with tension and agitation..
Recommendations
The solution to the political stalemate in Zimbabwe lies in an electoral
paradigmatic shift to more inclusive, accommodating, win-win electoral
systems based on proportional representation and mixed electoral
systems
Election
Administration
Sound election administration is critical in building political
party confidence in the conduct of elections. The delays that accompanied
the release of election results, especially presidential results,
do not reflect positively on ZEC's election management capacity
and autonomy. Its management of the delimitation, nomination, voter
education, voter registration and inspection processes particularly
raised concern. Information on the delimitation exercise was not
adequately provided. For example the public and parliamentarians
were not given adequate time to debate and make inputs in the exercise.
Delays in the delimitation of boundaries [constituencies and wards]
saw voter registration and inspections and setting of the nomination
date being done before the finalization of the delimitation exercise.
To increase transparence of the process, it is recommended that
the law should require the Commission to disclose the total number
of ballots printed for each election.
Recommendations
- Commissioners
could be appointed through an open process that includes public
nominations which Parliament through the Standing Rules and Orders
Committee shortlists on the basis of qualifications and integrity
before final appointment by the President.
- Independent,
adequate and qualified personnel.
- Ensure the
independence and efficiency of the body, including financial autonomy.
- Increased
accountability of the Commission. For instance, Commissioners
could each be given areas of responsibility to enhance accountability.
The law could require the commissioners to divide among themselves
responsibility for the commission's different activities so that
each commissioner would be responsible for a particular activity
and, in this way, promote equal participation by all commissioners.
An alternative way of distributing functions between commissioners
would be to give each commissioner the responsibility for a particular
province.
- Method of
appointment should ensure the impartiality, all-inclusiveness,
competence and accountability of the body. the participation of
opposition parties and key stakeholders. The selection process
of commissioners should be transparent and engender confidence
in all stakeholders. These selection processes should also ensure
that gender, special needs groups and youth participation or representation
is achieved.
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