In its preliminary response to the bill, which has been welcomed by some sections , the Zimbabwe Election Support Network said that it has, “critically assessed the draft Electoral Amendment Bill gazetted last month and suggested further improvements.”
“The Electoral Amendment Bill addresses a number of issues which ZESN believes are essential for the creation of a conducive environment and the levelling of the playing field for credible free and fair elections. At the same time ZESN notes that, even though some of the reforms will significantly improve the current electoral legal framework, the proposed amendments do not go far enough in addressing the creation of a peaceful electoral environment.”
On the proposed provisions in the Election Commission Bill, ZESN said the Zimbabwe Election Commission should be able to implement the rules and structures and should be equipped with sufficient professional personnel, finance and resources so as not to limit its mandate.
ZEC has on several occasions said it is broke and there are also allegations from political parties that the body is infested with members of the despised Central Intelligence Organization.
While the bill has a provision for the availability of the Voters’ Roll in both print and electronic versions in searchable, analysable and tamper-proof format, ZESN said it was concerned with “the continuation of the shared responsibility for the registration of voters, creation and maintenance of the voters’ roll between the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Registrar-General’s office”.
It believes such an arrangement decreases accountability and can potentially cause inefficiency.
“ZESN proposes that these responsibilities must be fully given to the ZEC, which has the sole mandate to run elections in the country.”
The Electoral Amendment Bill further makes provision for the creation of permanent polling stations and polling station-based voters’ rolls.
This is now the trend in many parts of the progressive world, but ZESN feels that such an arrangement in a country like Zimbabwe – with a history of post-election violence – could leave voters at the mercy of political thugs.
“The environment within which elections have been held can scuttle the best laid technical aspirations. Without a permanent solution to electoral and politically-motivated violence, the polling station-based roll will leave communities more vulnerable to retribution and post-election violence, as it will be easier upon counting to identify voting patterns tied to specific polling-stations.”
The election support coalition also said the bill should put more emphasis on the implementation of the proposals – such as the placing of responsibility for violence on politicians. There was need for vigilance to guard against selective application of the law.
On the new provisions of postal voting ZESN expressed concern over the restriction of this facility to persons who are outside Zimbabwe on government business, as well as their spouses if they are also out of the country.
“If postal voting is available to those on government duty, it could also be available to many Zimbabweans abroad (the Diaspora) as is the case with other countries like Botswana, South Africa, Malawi and Namibia. However there is need for proper planning and mechanisms to be put in place to ensure openness and transparency so that this process is not manipulated at each and every stage.”
Post published in: Politics