SW Radio Africa (London)
Tererai Karimakwenda
25 January 2008
The date for the harmonised elections that are the subject of much controversy in Zimbabwe was finally announced late Thursday in an Extraordinary Gazette. In a Presidential Proclamation, Robert Mugabe set the polling date as Saturday, March 29th, 2008. Parliament will be dissolved on March 28th and the nomination day is Friday, February 8th, 2008. Zimbabweans are still in the dark about many issues regarding this election, and there is consensus among civil groups and observers that the atmosphere is not conducive to free and fair elections and more time is needed to prepare.
With exactly 63 days left before the polls the two formations of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change appear to disagree over many issues, including whether to participate or boycott the elections.
Nelson Chamisa, spokesperson for the Tsvangirai MDC, said that their National Council would be meeting urgently to decide whether to participate in the polls. But he added that it is inconceivable and unimaginable to talk of any elections being anything other than a farce under the current conditions. Chamisa blasted Mugabe's announcement as arrogant and disrespectful of the SADC dialogue. He said the ZANU-PF leader had "spit in the face of SADC" and shown contempt for the idea that there should be "African solutions for African problems."
Gabriel Chaibva, spokesperson for the Mutambara MDC, said that they were definitely participating in the elections. He said that they believed that government had complied with all the legal requirements, and the amendments agreed to at the SADC talks had passed through parliament. Challenged over Mugabe's refusal to adopt a new Constitution, Chaibva said: "Whenever you are in negotiations it is a give and take." He also defended the police crackdown on the MDC march on Wednesday, saying that there were issues of safety at stake.
Clearly there are differences over many key issues regarding this harmonised election. Back in 2005, the MDC split over differences regarding participation in the Senate elections. Now that same issue may divide them again.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), a key election monitoring and observer group, has released a strongly worded statement criticising the manner in which critical electoral processes have been conducted. In a statement released Friday, ZESN called on all stakeholders to create an enabling environment for the conduct of free, fair and peaceful elections. The group said it is necessary for the government, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and all political parties to conduct the elections in a manner that conforms to regional and international standards. This would ensure the legitimacy of the elected Government.
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