African Union Must Ensure Free and Fair Elections

Yet another opportunity for Africa’s children to map their destiny.As this summit is being held in Ethiopia, the birth place of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union, it reminds us all as Africa’s children of the ideals that underpinned our noble struggles against colonialism, imperialism and apartheid. The ideals of the estabishment of legitimate governments only through the voluntary will of the people, democracy, equality and economic prosperity for all.Sadly in Zimbabwe, Mr Robert Mugabe and the ZANU PF regime have reneged on the ideals which underpinned the struggles. Zimbabwe has degenerated into a police state where basic human freedoms that underpinned the struggle have been eroded. The economic melt down has caused untold suffering for the people of Zimbabwe.The crisis in Zimbabwe remains a political crisis which Africa, and its political institutions are capable of resolving. This explains our commitment to the SADC brokered talks being mediated by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. It is common cause that there have been a number of agreements that have been reached at the SADC brokered talks. Sadly the events of Wednesday 23rd of January demonstrate clearly what has always informed our cautious optimism of the SADC brokered talks; that Mr Mugabe and ZANU PF are not sincere. Clearly most of the issues agreed at the talks have not been and are not being implemented making a March election impossible. For the avoidance of doubt, we remain commited to dialogue as the principal catalyst to the resolution of the long standing political crisis in Zimbabwe. As we have maintained consistantly over the past eight years, a negotiated settlement born out of dialogue by the people of Zimbabwe, facilitated by African political institutions in general, SADC in particular, is the only way to soft land the country. The product and agreed positions of this dialogue must be implemented without fail. There must be saficient time between the implementation of the agreed postions and the date of the elections to ensure that, that which is agreed upon is capable of fundamentally affecting the political environment and make it conducusive for free and fair election. In order for an election to be said to be free and fair the entire process must be free and fair including the registration of voters, independant electoral commission, voters’ roll, the delimitation process and voter education. Amongst other things we demand a new constitution before the elections. Over the past few weeks we have seen the events in Kenya which are a direct product of an election held under disputed conditions, inevitably leading to a dispute of the elections results. We must avoid this in Zimbabwe. In deed President Mbeki has correctly high lighted that the elections in Zimbabwe must be held in conditions in which the elections result will not be disputed. We are ready at anytime for a free and fair election. Mr Mugabe and ZANU PF must implement positions agreed at the SADC brokered talks and introduce a new constitution before the elections. The MDC therefore calls on the African Union to intervene more directly in the resolution of the crisis in Zimbabwe and impress upon Mr Mugabe and ZANU PF on the need for the implementation of the positions agreed in the SADC brokered talks, the need for free political environment for the MDC to cunduct campaigns.The people of Zimbabwe have suffered long enough. It is time their dignity is restored.The people of Zimbabwe remain hopeful that their fellow brothers and sisters on the African continent will assist them realise a life of dignity.