The report covering the period between the harmonised elections of March 29 2008 and the run-off of June 27 last year was tabled on May 13 and made public last Tuesday.
It was submitted to President Robert Mugabe on March 19, a contravention of the countrys Constitution, which requires that such a report be sent to the President six months after polls.
In the report, the ZEC said it was satisfied that it conducted the first and second elections efficiently, freely, fairly, transparently and in accordance with the law”.
On violence in the run-up to the presidential run-off, the report states: “According to the police, save for some parts of Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East provinces where some incidents of inter-party violence were reported, the rest of the country was generally peaceful.”
This is contrary to reports by human rights organisations and the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC which claimed that at least 200 of its supporters were killed, 10 000 families displaced and several thousands others injured in the countdown to the run-off by state security agents, Zanu (PF) militia and war veterans.
The bloody campaign to retain Mugabe at all costs saw Tsvangirai withdrawing from the run-off because of the violence, but the ZEC said the pull out had no legal effect and went ahead with the poll that was condemned worldwide.
The sham election saw Mugabe, who had been outpolled by Tsvangirai in the first round of the presidential poll in March although the then opposition leader failed to garner the required votes to assume the presidency, polling 85 percent of the cast votes.
The international community and regional countries did not recognise Mugabes victory prompting the African Union (AU) at its summit in Egypt in July 2008 to resolve that Zimbabwe should form an inclusive government made up of Mugabe, Tsvangirai and a smaller formation of the MDC.
The AU asked Southern African Development Community (SADC) to facilitate dialogue between the three Zimbabwe political parties, which culminated in the signing last September of global political agreement and the formation of the inclusive government in February this year.
In response to allegations of lack of transparency in the processing of postal votes, particularly allegations that security force members were told who to vote for by their superiors, the ZEC described the allegations as “unsubstantiated”.
Both MDC formations have condemned the report as untruthful and meant to mask how Mugabes Zanu (PF) stole the presidential election from Tsvangirai. ZimOnline.
Post published in: News