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This article participates on the following special index pages:
2008 harmonised elections - Index of articles
Election
alert No. 1
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
March 28, 2008
Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights (ZLHR) has observed that members of the Zimbabwe
Republic Police (ZRP), some in uniform and others disguised as ordinary
members of the public, are being processed for accreditation as
observers by ZEC in Harare at the accreditation centre together
with members of civil society who have been approved as local observers.
This raises serious concern that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(ZEC) has not put in place adequate screening measures to ensure
that individuals so prohibited by the Electoral Act do not enter
the polling stations through nefarious means.
Recently the
President of Zimbabwe used his controversial and disputed presidential
powers to amend the Electoral Act to allow police officers to enter
polling stations and assist certain categories of voters. In light
of this amendment, there is no reason why police should be accredited
as election observers when they are allowed to come and go as they
please from polling stations and can be easily identified as members
of the uniformed forces. It can therefore only be concluded that
accreditation is being used as a tool for the purposes of gathering
information and potentially influencing the reports of other bona
fide observers, as well as packing polling stations with biased
observers during the counting process at the expense of legitimate
observers who are then likely to be excluded.
Members of the
ZRP are well known for their intolerance towards fundamental rights
and freedoms of expression, association and assembly. They have
shown themselves to apply the law selectively and used excessive
force against human rights defenders and members of the public.
It is already of great concern to ZLHR that police will be allowed
into polling stations, and the added presence of 'undercover'
police observers is totally unacceptable.
ZLHR is taking
the matter up with ZEC and will provide further updates once a response
is received.
Visit the ZLHR
fact
sheet
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