Maravi

Church in Zim calls for peaceful polls

Church in Zim calls for peaceful polls
By George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Friday March 28, 2008 [03:00]

THE Church in Zimbabwe has called for peaceful, free and fair elections saying the destiny of the country will be determined by the manner the polls are conducted tomorrow. And the Church has appealed to those entrusted with ensuring a free and fair election to uphold the electoral laws of Zimbabwe and the tenets of the SADC guidelines on elections.

In a message ahead of tomorrow’s harmonised elections, the Ecumenical Peace Initiative Zimbabwe (EPIZ), which comprises of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, appealed for peaceful, free and fair elections.

“In humble submission to God the Almighty we, the heads of churches in Zimbabwe, representing the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, wish to draw the attention of the nation to the importance of the forthcoming elections,” the EPIZ stated. “As a sovereign nation, the destiny of our country and its future direction will be determined by the manner these elections are conducted.

We are thankful to God that in this pre-election period, Zimbabweans have generally conducted themselves peacefully and with the kind of maturity, which we have not seen in previous elections.

This is a wonderful answer to prayer. We applaud Zimbabweans for this maturity and encourage that mutual tolerance be sustained during and after the election.”

The EPIZ stated that through free, fair and non-violent, and peaceful elections, Zimbabweans would uphold and restore their dignity as a nation.

“It is critical that these elections are conducted in a peaceful, free and fair environment for them to be credible and legitimate both locally and internationally,” the EPIZ stated.

“We call on all those entrusted with ensuring a free and fair election to uphold the electoral laws of Zimbabwe and the tenets of the SADC guidelines on elections.

We call on all the political parties, the candidates for election, and those holding public office to refrain from any form of language that incites their followers to violent action against those who hold a different view.”

And the heads of churches in Zimbabwe called on people to conduct themselves and cast their votes in a manner that would promote justice, peace, reconciliation and healing of the nation.

“We plead for respect for each other’s human dignity, for tolerance of one another during and after the elections, for a more responsible, accountable, and mature approach, and to always think, speak and act in the interest of our nation,” the EPIZ stated.

“We plead with all of you as you campaign and cast your votes to act in the knowledge that we are accountable to one another as Zimbabweans, to our neighbours in the SADC region and to the entire international community, and ultimately to the almighty God.”

The EPIZ has urged Zimbabweans to go out and cast their votes tomorrow.

“We urge our government to provide the space, time and protection to every Zimbabwean who has come out to cast their vote to do so without hindrance.

We plead with Zimbabweans from all sectors of our society to accept unity in diversity and above all, to value our neighbour who, like each one of us, was created in the image of God almighty, the God of peace.

May the Lord guide and bless Zimbabwe,” stated the EPIZ.
Zimbabwe will tomorrow hold its first ever harmonised presidential, parliamentary and council elections.

President Robert Mugabe, who is Africa’s oldest President at 84, faces a challenge from long-time opposition MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai and his erstwhile finance minister Simba Makoni.

Labels: ELECTIONS, EPIZ, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 8:07 PM