Maravi

Zim civil society warns of post-election violence

Zim civil society warns of post-election violence
By Kingsley Kaswende, George Chellah and Amos Malupenga in Hara
Tuesday April 01, 2008 [04:00]

DELAYS in announcing results in Zimbabwe's harmonised elections will rouse post-election violence and fuel fears of vote rigging, civil society and religious organisations said on Sunday. Zimbabweans have been anxious to know the results since the end of voting on Saturday evening, as the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) had not published the results until yesterday morning, 36 hours after the close of voting.

Addressing the press at Jameson Hotel on Sunday evening, the Christian Alliance convener Bishop Levi Kadenge said delays in the announcement of results could lead to unpredictable and undesirable behaviour by citizens.

"To avoid any further distress and in order to calm all citizens, we urgently appeal to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and other relevant authorities to immediately release all results that are now available," Bishop Kadenge said.

He said Zimbabweans had continued to rely on unofficial results and that continued silence by ZEC was tantamount to tacit endorsement of such unofficial results.

"We, therefore, urge peace- loving Zimbabwean citizens to be patient and to avoid any actions that could provoke a situation of confrontation until the official results are announced," Bishop Kadenge said. "We also appeal to the Christian community and the entire population of Zimbabwe to remain vigilant and unwavering in prayer for peace and stability in the nation."

And academician and political analyst, Professor John Makumbe said it was meaningless for anybody to delay the results because they were already public and pestered on polling stations.

"ZEC are being childish not to release the official results. It's the postponement of the evil day for ZANU-PF. Anyway, the day is here, it is just being postponed. The independence is over and second Republic is here now," he said.

Professor Makumbe said ZEC was supposed to release results as soon as they were available.

"What we are asking for is tabulation of results at the central level. ZEC is supposed to release the results as and when they are available," Prof Makumbe said. "Mr Mugabe is a seasoned politician and we believe he will do the right thing and accept the results because the anxiety is unbearable."

Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network (ZESN) chairman Noel Katutwa said delays in announcing results had caused unnecessary tension in Zimbabwe.

"The delays are fuelling speculation that there could be something going on behind the scenes. ZESN encourages ZEC to conduct the tabulation of election results as quickly as possible. The announcement of results in a timely, transparent and accountable manner helps reduce tensions following any election," Katutwa said.

In previous elections, results were being announced as and when they were available.
The Save Zimbabwe Campaign (SZC), a network of civil society, church-based and political parties, said it was also concerned that ZEC had caused unnecessary anxiety by delaying the announcement of results.

In a statement, SZC stated the failure by ZEC to announce the electoral process gave reason for Zimbabweans to suspect that the electoral process was being manipulated by the incumbent and ZANU-PF.

"Given the historic nature of this election, and the layout of the counting process, there is definitely no need for ZEC to keep people in suspense. The Save Zimbabwe Campaign will hold ZEC accountable for any disturbances that may occur as a result of this delay," the statement read.

Meanwhile, ZEC chairperson justice George Chiweshe, in a television address, cited "logistics" as the cause of delays, especially that the number of parliamentary, senatorial and local government seats had been increased after the delimitation exercise.

It is also the first time that Zimbabwe is holding all elections on a single day.

Justice Chiweshe said ZEC had a mammoth national exercise and it had laid out a process that would be used in handling the results. He said ZEC would strive to announce all results within 48 hours.

"In this process, local results will at each stage be correlated. No doubt by now many wards and constituencies know whom their new councillor, member of parliament and senators are. It's of absolute necessity that at each stage the result be verified.

The commission would like to reiterate that it and it alone is the sole source of the results," justice Chiweshe said. "The results are announced at an appropriate level in the chain of their movement.

The reason why we need a command centre is because we have to correlate the presidential results. It's a process that we are seeking to announce the overall winner of the presidential election."

Justice Chiweshe, who was harassed by MDC cadres on Sunday afternoon, also warned that ZEC would stop attending to queries being raised especially by journalists.
"We have to be reasonable and understand that there is a lot of work which has to be done to the satisfaction of the electorate.

If that kind of behaviour continues, do not be surprised if we become inaccessible because we have been accessible to journalists including those that are outside," said justice Chiweshe.

Labels: ELECTIONS, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 6:21 AM