Lusaka — PRESIDENT Mwanawasa yesterday called for the postponement of Zimbabwean presidential run-off elections slated for this Friday because of the volatile situation during campaigns.
Speaking in his capacity as Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairman, Dr Mwanawasa told a Press conference at State House that the situation in Zimbabwe did not meet the SADC principles and guidelines and other African Union (AU) regulations on free and fair elections .
"It is, therefore, my considered view that the run-off election in Zimbabwe must be postponed to a later date.
"I urge the responsible authorities in Zimbabwe to implement this postponement to allow for the establishment of conditions that are suitable for holding of genuinely free and fair elections in accordance with Zimbabwean law, the SADC principles and the charter and conventions of the African Union," he said.
Dr Mwanawasa said the postponement of the run-off election had become imperative with the withdrawal of opposition - Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, leaving President Robert Mugabe as the only candidate.
He noted that only last week, SADC ministers responsible for peace and security had said they doubted the presidential run-off election would be free and fair given the situation on the ground.
"In view of the foregoing, I would be failing in my duties as chairman of SADC if I did not offer timely advice to our member state," he said
He said that leaders should not, therefore, feel embarrassed to support the postponement because it was in the interest of Zimbabwe and its people.
Dr Mwanawasa said, as a member of SADC, Zimbabwe was a signatory to the regional body principles and guidelines governing democratic elections which it had, however, not adhered to.
"The conduct of free and fair elections is not simply judged on election day but from all activities and events prior to the day, on the day itself and thereafter.
"Those of you that may have observed the events in Zimbabwe during the run-off election 'campaigns' will agree with me that the current political environment in Zimbabwe falls far short of the SADC principles that I have just outlined," he said.
He said free campaigns had not been allowed in that country as opposition rallies were being disrupted while Mr Tsvangirai had been arrested and detained, without justifiable cause, five times within a space of 10 days.
Dr Mwanawasa further noted that the MDC secretary general, Tendai Biti was currently in prison facing treason charges while generally there had been numerous incidences of political violence from both sides resulting in deaths of people.
"The opposition party had been denied equal access to the state media, hence denying them the opportunity to communicate their campaign messages effectively," he said.
Dr Mwanawasa said that President Mugabe's declaration that only God could remove him from office had created fear among the Zimbabwean voters.
Further, the Zimbabwean government had banned non-governmental organisations and other civil society organisations from carrying out their normal humanitarian functions on grounds that they were supporting MDC
He quoted former United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan's statement published in the Financial Times edition of June 18, 2008 which stated that the situation in Zimbabwe was having tragic consequences both inside the country and in southern Africa.
Dr Mwanawasa said his statement was an appeal to all the relevant parties in Zimbabwe to ensure that they took measures which would prevent the situation in that country from escalating into deeper crisis.
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Dr. Mwanawasa, the world applauds you!
Dr.Mwanawasa, it was a timely descision as a SADC C/person and any member country that may not support such, their democratic despensation in their countries is also questionable. You tried to deplomatically defend some member countries on the cold feet that they have developed on the zimbabean issue from the pressmen and indications are that not all are with you. Infact if a civil war brokeout in that country the first country that is so peaceful and easily accomodates is our beloved Zambia in this region to which the majority would seek refugee.A Great country we are, though they have never lived to appreciate the greatest sucrifices we made for there independences in the region.God bless our nation.
Mwanawasa must be forgetful. Two years is nothing to forget how he himself re-elected into office. Just because you got a rich allay somewhere in the West does not make Mwanawasa was elected democratically. Mugabe at least claims to defend the gains of his liberation movement. What was Mwanawasa's claim rigging vote into office? Of Course Power and Corruption. I do not take Mwanawasa seriously although I disagree the Zimbabawe election process and violence.
To label Dr. Mwanawasa as a forgotful individual in his relentless effort to provide direction in Zimbabwe, can only come from a Zimbabwean that has no vision and who also suffers from a lack of perspective, like many Zimbabweans have shown over the year following their independence, which was also fought for them by Zambians. Its no wonder that only a Zambian leader seem to openly care in expressing his views about what Zimbabwe has desintegrated into.
The Political atmosphere during the past election in Zambia, is indeed nowhere close to the herridous sequence of events that Zimbabweans and the world have witnessed lately. The scale of animosity unfolding in Zimbabwe begin to make Ida Amin's atrocities upon his own people in Uganda, a child's play. Mugabe's Liberation struggle does not give him any rights at all to abuse the very people he claims to be serving. I believe his sanity is what we should all be questioning now, given his unprecendented advanced age and the demands of presidency, shouldn't we?
Mbeki also does share in this bloodbath, but why are we surprised at all, coming from the man that himself was trying to handtwist the South Africans into conceding to his unconstitutional ambitions for a third term.
For Zambia, everyone knows that Mwanawasa is retiring after his current term, Period; this is the kind of democracy that Zimbabwe, and South Africa to some degree, need education on. My main fear and worry is that South Africa, looking at the rate at which the economy has deteriorated, is itself not every far from what the world is witnessing in Zimbabwe.
Cheers to Mwanawasa, a lot more presidents should emulate this much needed openness in tackling dictators and be riding them off our continent. Yesterday's politics should not be entertained anywhere at all. It is common sense and it has nothing to do with supporting the West. The truth of the matter is that, it should not take the intervention of the West or any othe nation at all, for leaders to respect the will of their people. Now is the time for governments to focus on attaining economic prosperity and not to be fighting stone battles; raping its own citizens literary speaking!!.
Mugabe has mentally lost it, and it shouldn't take the extinction of the entire nation for the world to move in to the rescue of the many innocent and defenseless citizens. How different is Mugabe from Saddam? Isn't this the very reason the US intervened?? Come on, somebody MUST take out that old sinnel miseries either by gun or whatever - his time has long being gone.
Fmartin..well done for that balanced reposte to the idiotic post by that mugabe lover. You are quite right that we did not witness the running battles with innocent people being beaten to within an inch of their lives in zambia as is now the case in zimbabwe. This mugabe loving thug ought to be ashamed of himself!!
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