Vice-President Joice Mujuru has indicated that no election observers from Western nations will be allowed to monitor Zimbabwe's next poll, despite the country turning to Western donors for election funding.
"Why should we be monitored by other countries outside the Southern African Development Community when we are a sovereign state?" Mujuru was quoted as saying in the Sunday Mail.
Mujuru said countries that have imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe wanted to "impose themselves on our national election processes to influence the outcome in their favour."
Finance Minister Tendai Biti has been urging Western nations to fund the country's elections because the government cannot afford it. He dramatically announced earlier this year that the state coffers were almost empty, in what he said was an attempt to convince international donors to fund the poll.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) meanwhile has started taking applications from individuals and organisations who want to observe the forthcoming referendum.
Acting ZEC chairperson Joyce Kazembe said all applications, foreign or local, would be considered by the Commission's Observer Accreditation Committee, and that committee would then recommend who should be approved for accreditation.
"According to the electoral law the committee is chaired by the ZEC chairperson and the deputy chairperson is also a member together with a Commissioner," she said.
She added: "Other members will include representatives from the Ministries of Justice and Legal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs mainly the immigration department. This is the committee which looks at all the applications and makes recommendations."
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Well-said, mamma!A very good statement indeed.
Who, from Africa, goes to monitor those one-sided elections in Europe, America or Australia? And what gives them the power to come and lecture us about elections, their money? I think I heard some verbal diarrhoea about Westerns with-holding their funds? What a revelation! You fund us in order to control us,hey?
We do not want you in our country, so what? Stay with your money in your cold Europe and dry America and see if we will not hold elections. Yes, if the Chinese can provide, is that your problem?
There are so many African states that will not mind helping a brother in need. So, the vice-president is right, no Western observers, because the stupid puppets are only aiming at painting Africa black as always.
You hit us with sanctions, now you want to blackmail us with money? Zimbabwe is not Kenya or Uganda where you have our African brothers with their noses.
Stay out of trouble, Africans will monitor themselves!
And we all saw what Mugabe and his thugs did the last time around. They stole that election. If thuggery is the African way, then that is a sad commentary on the Africans.
If you want to be a leader, you need to be a LEGITIMATE leader. No one is going to take the ZANU thugs word that the next election is going to be free and fair. They will steal it - they have a history of doing that.
If they want to play on their own little playground, then fine. But don't come begging the West for anything. Ask your Chinese colonizers - let them fund your Swiss bank accounts. And for goodness sake, treat your people with dignity, honesty and integrity.
Is this so there are no witnesses to the ZANU crimes that are already being perpetrated ?
If Western nations are banned from the polls, then the money of Western nations should be held back. ZANU can continue to allow their Chinese colonizers to run and fund things for them.
If you're going to crook the books you don't want any honest observers. Then again if its going to be an honest poll one wouldn't worry who observes it. If Zimabweans want to be accepted for anything more than a lost state open your doors to all observers. Time for transparency not deceit and hiding. Time for zanupf to go too
Mujuru is busy sleeping with other zanupf bigwigs she will say anything to please them . RIP rex
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