Victoria Falls — ZIMBABWEANS in the Diaspora and other stakeholders want legislation that will allow locals residents in other countries to participate in all national elections.

The calls were made during a retreat on electoral reforms organised by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa.

Daniel Molokele, the international co-ordinator for Global Zimbabwe, the umbrella body which seeks to co-ordinate activities of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, told The Standard that while the government was keen on Zimbabweans in the Diaspora investing in the country, it was important for them to participate fully in all the country's national programmes like elections.

"The Diaspora in turn must demand its recognition by way of legal integration into the national discourse through some positive constitutional and statutory reforms," he said. "The practice is that despite the fact that over a third of its electorate is now based outside the country, there is no practical effort to enable the Diaspora to also cast their vote."

Only Zimbabweans working at foreign missions and armed forces deployed in foreign lands are able to vote. Sceptics say this set up creates room for manipulation.

Rindai Chipfunde-Vava, the national director of ZESN, which promotes democratic elections in Zimbabwe, said her organisation would lobby for electoral reforms which would allow Zimbabwean voters in the Diaspora to vote in future elections.

"We are going to push for an all inclusive voting process in which all Zimbabweans above 18 years, in or outside the country are allowed to vote. We have seen this happening in Mozambique and most recently in South Africa and there is no reason why we should not be able as a country to implement these reforms."

Chipfunde-Vava told The Standard that part of the reforms would require a fresh census of just how many Zimbabweans were in the country and in the Diaspora.

"We have heard figures of between 2,5 and 3 million people living outside the country but we are going to advocate for a census in the Diaspora so that there is a clear understanding of how many Zimbabweans have left the country.

"Next would be a census in the country before people can register on the voters' roll because there have been complaints that the voters' roll is in a shambles, with many dead people still appearing as voters."

On suggestions that Zanu PF could prevent exiles from voting for fear of a backlash, Chipfunde-Vava said fears of electoral defeat could not be used to hold Zimbabweans to ransom over their right to vote.

"If say urban Zimbabweans are said not to like a certain political party, those cannot be adequate grounds to deny them the vote," Chipfunde-Vava said. "The issue of the Diaspora vote is quite unique to Zimbabwe in the sense that quite a large number of people have left the country in the last 10 years as economic or political refugees or just seeking greener pastures.

The people in the Diaspora being denied the vote are the same people whose remittances have over the years saved the country from total collapse in the face of economic hardships."

The Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Jessie Majome, agrees with the need to embrace Zimbabweans living in foreign lands and allow them to vote as is the norm in other countries in Southern Africa.

"The electoral framework in Zimbabwe is very exclusive in nature when it comes to Zimbabweans living outside the country. One would be excused for thinking that the entire electoral system regards voting more as a privilege as opposed to it being a right."

Majome, a lawyer and legislator from the Movement for Democratic Change-T, led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said with more than three million Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, it was "alarming" that they did not participate in national elections.

"Considering the number of eligible voters currently residing outside Zimbabwe, lack of consideration of such a significant vote is not only alarming but also disturbing. It further undermines the fundamental principles of inclusivity and participation, which are already undermined by political, gender, class and social factors."

Irene Petras, the executive director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), said it was important for stakeholders to insist that the voting rights of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora should be taken into consideration.

"The process of coming up with a new constitution will have to address the issue of electoral reforms in view of voters in the Diaspora just as we saw South Africans based outside their country voting in the just ended national elections.

"We believe as Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights that Zimbabweans in the Diaspora should have the right to vote as it is a fundamental right to express or participate in how they are governed," Petras said.