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Legal Monitor Issue 57
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
August 13, 2010

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SADC called to act

Regional leaders meeting in Namibia next weekend should prioritise plans to prevent Zimbabwe from degenerating into another wave of political violence ahead of a possible general election next year, a coalition of civil society groups has said.

President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party has said elections are inevitable next year, raising fears that the electoral violence that engulfed the country in 2008 could haunt the country again should the polls go ahead without adequate monitoring and supervision.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders should take a firm stance on ensuring credible elections in Zimbabwe.

SADC leaders, the guarantors of the coalition government's power sharing agreement formed in February last year after the inconclusive 2008 elections, meet in Namibia from 15-17 August.

The leaders will discuss Harare's progress on implementing the Global Political Agreement, which forms the basis of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's coalition government. South African President Jacob Zuma's envoy, Mac Maharaj was in Zimbabwe last week to narrow differences between President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai.

Civil society groups say while Maharaj's efforts are commendable, the human rights situation in Zimbabwe remained precarious due to the coalition government leaders' obsession with government appointments. In a statement, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition called on SADC to:

• Urge Zimbabwe to recognise the right of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to vote and put in place necessary administrative mechanisms to facilitate that vote.
• Facilitate technical support to the newly appointed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission by more experienced regional electoral bodies such as the South African Electoral Commission.
• Bar Zimbabwe from taking up a position in the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security for the duration of the on-going mediation process in Zimbabwe to preserve the independence of the Organ. Even in Zimbabwe, a player for one side cannot pull on a referee jersey.
• Ensure that Zimbabwe fully complies with SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections - including impartiality of electoral institutions.

SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections were adopted in Windhoek in 1992 to strengthen democracy in the region. Among the core principals dictated by the guidelines are: full participation of citizens in electoral processes, freedom of association, equal opportunity for all political parties to access the State media, equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for and voter education, independence of the judiciary. The guidelines also dictate that losers of elections should accept the results instead of using violence and force to cling to power.

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