Several heads of state and government officials began arriving in Uganda on Friday for the AU heads of state summit, scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Political analyst John Makumbe, Zimbabwe Election Support Network chairperson Tinoziva Bere, International Commission of Jurists Africa Director Arnold Tsunga, farm workers union leader Gertrude Hambira, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association Director Okay Machisa, plus Tsitsi Mhlanga, Pedzisai Ruhanya and Dewa Mavhinga took part in the conference.
Under the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition the activists say they want to urge leaders at the African Union summit, to ensure that Zimbabwe is sufficiently prepared to hold credible, free and fair elections and that the AU stands ready to monitor and observe those elections. Its also their belief the AU should actively promote democracy, peace and security in Zimbabwe and across Africa.
In March 2008 Mugabe and his ZANU PF party lost harmonized presidential and parliamentary elections to the MDC, led by then opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. What followed was a brutal campaign of retribution led by the army in which over 500 opposition supporters were murdered and tens of thousands tortured or maimed. The intervention of the Southern African Development Community resulted in a power sharing deal that kept the loser firmly in power.
But the coalition government has been shaky and progress is being marred by Mugabes reluctance to genuinely share power. The momentum has since shifted to a new election as the only possible solution and this is why the activists say they are trying to get the guarantors of the power sharing deal, SADC and AU, to ensure the transitional government will institute necessary reforms to conduct, free and fair elections, run in accordance with SADC and AU standards.
Post published in: Politics