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Election talk premature
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
October 03, 2012

Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) is disgruntled and equally astonished at the intensified talk of election by national leaders given the current state of affairs in the country.

Recent reports have quoted the President, Robert Gabriel Mugabe citing plans to hold elections within the first quarter of 2013. The talk heightened following President Mugabe's indication through a High Court application seeking to delay by-elections in the three Matabeleland constituencies that harmonised elections were set for March next year. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai during his party, MDC's 13th anniversary iterated that elections will only be held if and when it is guaranteed of fairness and no violence and when all outstanding key reforms have been implemented.

It remains a major cause for concern that that the national leadership is keen and in a hurry as they are talking and negotiating an event whose prerequisites are unlikely possible to be attained by such a time. The talk of elections is however, premature given that there are a considerable number of outstanding issues and provisions in the Global Political Agreement (GPA) that have not been fulfilled, coupled by the rise in reports of politically motivated violence in some areas and communities. These are issues that the Inclusive Government must not ignore if a free and fair election is to be held. The talk in itself is a betrayal of the purpose of the SADC brokered Inclusive Government that provisioned for the establishment of a framework that will enable the holding of free and fair election. Practically, it amounts to political gimmicking if not a grand plan to defy the people's will once again.

Priorities are seemingly misplaced as there are more pertinent issues at the moment such as the constitution making process that has is yet to be completed. The country is yet to establish a supreme law to guide all national processes. Meanwhile, the Constitutional 2nd All Stakeholders Conference is scheduled for this month, hence minds should be set on how best to deal with the situation. The process will involve translating the document into simple local languages and distribute it to the valued Zimbabweans so that people will put meaningful contribution at the Conference. There is need to come up with ways in which to avoid confusing the ordinary person who has interest in participating in the referendum.

The experience of 2008 elections, left many people scared hence the need to avoid recurrence of such chaos at all cost. This is what the principals must focus on. They should put the needs of the electorate ahead of their own-an effort that is long overdue. It is therefore absurd to talk of an election, while, we are yet to prove our ability to hold peaceful national processes.

To that end, we demand that before they rush for an election; the political leadership should show political will and demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that they are committed to serving the people hence ensuring a peaceful free and fair election. Evidence shall include zero tolerance to hate speech, security sector reform, cleaning of the voters roll, relaxation if not total disbandment of the draconian pieces of legislation such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Associated Public Order and Security Act and zero tolerance to violence. A closer look at just the few abovementioned demands renders it impossible for parties to accomplish it by March next year especially considering that they have failed to address it over the past four year. Above all, the call for election will have to be approved by the SADC which is the guarantor of the GPA.

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