By Kelvin Kasiwulaya
With Just a day left for the 2023 harmonized elections to kick off, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) has called on the government of Zimbabwe to heed the call made by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteurs for Member States to protect election observers from any violence, threats, retaliation, discrimination, pressure, or arbitrary action.
In it’s pre- election statement, ZESN underscored the need for the government to create a condusive environment for election observes to effectively execute their duties without any disturbances.
“ZESN urges the government of Zimbabwe to adhere to the call made in October 2022 by the United Nations Special Rapporteurs for Member States to take all necessary steps to establish conditions that allow national and international election observers to effectively do their work, and to protect them from any violence, threats, retaliation, adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of their legitimate exercise of their rights and freedoms.” reads the ZESN statement.
The electoral watchdog also expressed concern over the observer accreditation process citing that the process has been very slow.
“The observer accreditation process has been very slow, resulting in CSOs incurring significant costs to train and accredit observers.
“In addition, the accreditation was significantly more challenging than in previous elections, with long delays in approving observer lists and ensuring their
facilitation at provincial ZEC offices,” said ZESN
The independent electoral watchdog also noted the intimidation of its own observers in Mashonaland West and Central.
“There are numerous cases of ZESN observers being intimidated have been experienced, in some instances resulting in observers declining to serve as observers. This was especially prevalent in Mashonaland West and Central”
The independent electoral watchdog also bemoaned the ongoing media attacks on local and international observers.
“ZESN is concerned with the ongoing media attacks on both domestic and international observers, despite having been invited by the Zimbabwean government and accredited by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC),” they said.
Furthermore, the organization laid out the legal provisions that, recognizes the role of observers in an election.
“The law provides and recognizes the roles of observers. Under Section 40 G (1) (d) of the Electoral Act; Persons who are accredited by the Commission as
observers of an election shall be entitled to do all or any of the following…to provide the Commission with a comprehensive review of the election taking into account all relevant circumstances, including— (i) the degree of impartiality shown by the Commission; and (ii)
the degree of freedom of political parties to organise, move, assemble and express their views publicly; and (iii) the opportunity for political parties to have their agents observe all aspects of the electoral process; and (iv) the fairness of access afforded to political parties to
the national media and other resources of the State; and (v) the proper conduct of the polling
and the counting of the votes at the election; and (vi) any other issue concerning the essential
freedom and fairness of the election,”underscored ZESN.