JOHANNESBURG South Africas main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party last week called on President Jacob Zumas ruling ANC party to pressure President Robert Mugabe to fulfil all his commitments under the global political agreement (GPA). The opposition party that has been critical of Zumas handling of the Zimbabwe situation said ensuring Mugabe implements all provisions of the GPA was critical to ensuring that new elections expected next year to choose a government to replace the Harare coalition will be free fair.
The DA welcomed Zumas meeting with Botswana President Ian Khama in South Africa last week, which it said had seen the issue of the Zimbabwean political situation placed firmly at the top of the regional agenda, while discussions concerning proposed elections in Zimbabwean were gaining momentum.
The Zimbabwean government should be compelled to comply with a number of critical provisions before elections should be allowed to proceed, said Kenneth Mubu, the DAs? secretary for international relations and cooperation. Mubu added: The Zimbabwean government should be compelled into permitting international and regional monitors to oversee the periods prior to, during, and immediately after the election to ensure that it is carried out free from intimidation, harassment or vote rigging.
Other conditions proposed by the DA include the establishment of key institutions, such as an independent electoral commission, securing guarantees from all political parties that they are committed to a free and fair electoral process and the completion of the constitutional review process that is currently underway, which has been hampered by reports of intimidation of MDC members.
President Zuma, as SADCs appointed mediator in the Zimbabwean political negotiations and as the head of Zimbabwes most critical regional ally, should work to ensure that President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) party desist from adopting their standard stance of stubborn non-compliance if the country is to clear this critical democratic hurdle Mubu said.
Both Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have said Zimbabwe will hold elections next year to choose a new government to replace their coalition administration. But Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairman, former Harare High Curt Judge Simpson Mutambanengwe said rushing to hold a new vote before thorough preparations will inevitably result in a disputed outcome.
Zimbabwes elections have in the past been blighted by violence and charges of vote rigging, which saw the European Union and United States slapping sanctions on Mugabe and senior members of Zanu (PF). The last election in 2008 ended in stalemate after Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe for the first time but election officials withheld results for five weeks, only to call for a run-off vote, which was marred by violence and boycotted by Tsvangirai citing deaths among his supporters at the hands of Zanu (PF).
Post published in: News