Fulfil diaspora vote promise

WE, the Zimbabwe Diaspora Vote Initiative, a group of Zimbabweans living in the diaspora, are pleased the Commonwealth assessment mission is in Zimbabwe to assess progress made by Zimbabwe following an application submitted by the government to be re-admitted into the Commonwealth in 2018.

We understand the delegation will also review legislative reforms which the government has implemented under the Second Republic.

In that regard, we would like to bring it to your attention that the responsible authorities in Zimbabwe have not taken the necessary steps to implement the diaspora vote, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa committed to when he addressed Zimbabweans on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in 2018.

We wrote to Mnangagwa reminding him of his 2018 commitment, and asked what progress had been made to implement the diaspora vote, requesting to know the challenges, if any, had been faced in fulfilling the commitment, offering to help if we could.

After our letter to Mnangagwa, there were media reports contradicting his commitment to implementing the diaspora vote. Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told Parliament that there would be no diaspora vote. Zanu PF finance secretary Patrick Chinamasa said diaspora vote would only take place after sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe had been removed. It should be noted that it is not the Zimbabweans living in the diaspora who have caused sanctions to be imposed on some individual and institutuins, so sanctions should not be used as an excuse to deny us our right to vote.

After failing to get a response to our letter of April 15 2022 from the President, we petitioned the Parliament of Zimbabwe on September 8 2022, praying for Parliament to make legislative and/ or constitutional amendments to enable us to vote. There has been no response to this petition.

The contradictions that have come out from some sections of the ruling party indicate a deliberate perpetuated attempt to violate our right to vote.

Parliament has not moved to take the necessary steps to ensure the diaspora vote is implemented in 2023 as per Mnangagwa's expressed commitment.

In our view, it is not necessary to amend the Constitution to allow the diaspora vote, because item 1(2) of the fourth schedule of the Constitution specifically states that the electoral law may prescribe additional residential requirements to ensure that voters are registered on the most appropriate voters roll, but any such requirements must be consistent with this Constitution, in particular with section 67. That part of the Electoral Act can be amended to enable polling stations to be created in the country of residency of diaspora voters.

We understand and believe in the Commonwealth Charter which recognises “the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections in shaping the society in which they live”, and, therefore, we humbly and kindly remind Mnangagwa of the unfulfilled promise to implement the diaspora vote by 2023,