Addressing members of the press, ahead of the SADC 31st Summit of Heads of State in Luanda, Angola, on August 17 – 18, SADC Executive Secretary Dr Tomaz Salomao said that no single party has the power to call for elections in Zimbabwe if others are not prepared.
He said that the GPA clearly states that each party should append a signature on the date of elections and it should be communicated to SADC and the African Union.
Salomao said that recent calls by President Robert Mugabe for speedy elections were just the nature of politicians seeking attention. "The main objective in the establishment of the Government of Unity was to pave way for elections. So you cannot disconnect the GPA and elections. Elections in Zimbabwe are part of the GPA because it was said that because the elections in 2008 were not recognised as free and fair, let's put in place a mechanism to prepare for a free and fair election in Zimbabwe hence the GPA. In a nutshell, when you speak about elections you speak about GPA, and that's why we encourage all the parties to fully implement the GPA".
He said that in South Africa last month, the summit noted progress made since the organ troika summit in Zambia and the three political parties in Zimbabwe indicated that they were making progress towards finalising the roadmap for elections.
The summit also encouraged them to go back and finalise the roadmap on the date of elections in Zimbabwe. "The GPA states that the three political parties will submit to SADC and AU the date of elections in Zimbabwe. The date should come from the parties who signed the GPA, and it is binding. They have to sign on that paper that they agree to the date of elections and they have to do that via the SADC mediator – President Jacob Zuma," he said. He said that they also have to consult with the Electoral Commission to find out from them if they have the capacity and resources to hold elections.
"What we want as a continent is for the next election in Zimbabwe to be free and fair so that they are recognised by everybody and we can have Zimbabwe back on track so that this country can play its role in the social economic development of our region," Salomao said. At the moment, Salomao said SADC is preparing for elections in Zambia next month, Democratic Republic of Congo in November, and Lesotho elections in February next year.
The executive secretary reported progress in Madagascar and revealed that the recent killings of protestors in Malawi will also be discussed during the summit. He said that they are working with the concerned parties to find a peaceful resolution to their differences, but said that the death of 19 demonstrators was just too much.
On other issues, Salomao said that a number of member states have recorded improvements in government revenue and the region's average revenue increased from 29.3 to 30.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product. "In medium term, it is projected that on average the major macroeconomic indicators will continue to improve. However, the prospects will only hold if some factors turnaround. These include the strength of the global economic recovery, developments in fuel prices against a background of political instability in some of the oil-rich regions, and a general rise in commodity particularly food," he said.
Post published in: News