MDC say electoral commission must be replaced by new body

By Tichaona Sibanda
6 November 2007

The opposition has said that a new electoral commission is required as agreed in mediation talks between Zanu PF and the MDC. But there are indications that Zanu PF is determined to sanitize the current Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

The MDC wants a new body to register voters, demarcate constituencies and oversee preparations for next year’s elections, as agreed to by all parties under Constitutional Amendment 18. Zanu PF however seems reluctant to do this as many of Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede’s top aides since the early 1980’s have just been appointed to the current ZEC.

The appointments have irked the opposition MDC who accuse the government of disregarding the all party agreement which paved the way for political parties represented in Parliament to nominate members to the electoral body. The MDC’s director of elections, Ian Makone, told us government should urgently gazette the new Electoral Laws Amendment Bill, which will effectively transfer the operations of the electoral commission to Parliament.

Madock Chivasa, the National Constitutional Assembly Spokesman, said the recent senior appointments to the ZEC were a clear indication of the kind of election that people will witness next year.

‘The appointments reflect that most of the people in the ZEC have a background of serving in government in different capacities at district and provincial levels. These appointments are a clear testimony of Zanu-PF’s intention to run a controversial election next year. It also shows the lack of seriousness on part of the government to guarantee a free and fair election in this country,’ Chivasa said in a statement.
Glen Mupani, a political analyst said a truly independent electoral body would boost confidence and credibility of the commission in the eyes of the people.
‘This is the right time for the opposition to reflect and take note if Zanu-PF is serious about sticking to its concessions agreed to at the mediation talks. If not, they still have time to pull out, to force the regime to comply,’ Mupani said.