Mugabe urged to rethink election date to ensure free and fair poll
THE 15-country Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) has called on Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to delay national elections scheduled for July 31.
“There is a need for the government of Zimbabwe to engage the constitutional court to request more time beyond July 31‚” SADC secretary-general Tomaz Salomão said at the close of a summit of regional leaders.
Zimbabwe’s constitutional court has ruled that elections must take place before that date‚ despite concerns that there is not enough time to enact reforms that would ensure the polls are free and fair.
Mugabe used chapter 10 of the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act to proclaim the poll‚ bypassing parliament.
His decision to press ahead has plunged Zimbabwe into a political crisis.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says he plans to veto any election date before media‚ security and electoral reforms are made.
“I have instructed my attorneys to file an urgent application against this fraudulent action,” he said. “I call upon all peace-loving Zimbabweans to remain calm. The unilateral proclamation of July 31 ... is an act of denying Zimbabweans the opportunity to register as voters.”
SADC leaders representing such countries as Angola‚ Mozambique‚ South Africa‚ Tanzania and Zambia appear to have heeded that call‚ asking Mugabe to seek a delay.
The president’s decision was seen as a stern test for SADC‚ which has guided a process aimed at ending years of political violence.
The much-awaited vote aims to end the shaky power-sharing government between Mugabe and Tsvangirai‚ formed four years ago as part of a plan to end political bloodshed.
“This is really a test case to prove … if SADC has emerged as a strong regional bloc for enforcing democratic principles‚” said Harare-based political analyst Ernest Mudzengi ahead of the meeting.
The meeting initially planned for Maputo last weekend was postponed after Mugabe said he was “unavailable”. Both Tsvangirai and Mugabe were present at this weekend’s event.
Alex Magaisa‚ an adviser to Tsvangirai‚ said last week that Mugabe’s use of his presidential powers was the height of double standards and hypocrisy.
“The most critical thing about the next election is the legitimacy of the result. This depends on‚ among other things‚ the credibility of the processes leading up to and during elections‚” Magaisa said.
“There is need to build consensus through consultations to ensure that everyone goes into the election understanding the process is fair‚ transparent and democratic. Unilateralism and resorting to patently draconian legislation such as the Presidential Powers Act does little to protect the credibility and legitimacy of the election process.”
In their communiqué‚ SADC leaders “acknowledged the ruling of the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe on the elections date” but nevertheless “agreed on the need for the government of Zimbabwe to engage the Constitutional Court to seek more time beyond July 31 2013 deadline”.
Salomão said SADC had not given Mugabe a specific deadline to do so. SADC had been expected to consider a $132-million (R1.357-billion) funding proposal‚ but Salomão said the issue had not been debated at the summit.
The Maputo meeting also touched on the crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar.
Regarding the Congo‚ where attacks by M23 rebels have destabilised the eastern part of the country‚ the regional bloc noted “continuing progress on the deployment of the SADC intervention brigade” and called on Rwanda and Uganda to “consider engaging all the negative forces in an effort to find a lasting political solution in the Great Lakes region”.
Turning to Madagascar‚ SADC reiterated its earlier decision not to recognise the outcome of any election that included the “three illegitimate candidates” and urged the international community to “continue to exert political and diplomatic pressure on them to withdraw … for the sake of peace and stability in Madagascar”. — Sapa-AFP