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ZEC extends period within which to hold runoff

ZEC extends period within which to hold runoff
By George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Friday May 16, 2008 [04:00]

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has extended the period within which to hold the country's presidential runoff from 21 to 90 days. And ZANU-PF, which will launch its presidential runoff campaigns today, has instructed all its structures countrywide to get ready and prepare the electorate. Meanwhile, SADC executive secretary Dr Tomaz Salomao has said Zimbabwe's political environment is not yet secure or fair ahead of a presidential runoff.

ZEC announced the extension through an electoral notice that was published in an extraordinary government gazette dated May 15, 2008.

"Notwithstanding section 110 (3) of the electoral Act (chapter 2:13), following upon the poll taken on 29th March, 2008 in each constituency for the election of a President which resulted in no candidate receiving a majority of the total votes cast, the period within which a second election to the Office of President is to be held is hereby extended from 21 days to 90 days from the date of the announcement of the results of the first poll of the election of a President," read the notice.

The 90-day extension means that the Zimbabwean presidential run-off has to be held by July 31, which is the 90th day from May 2 when the first round of presidential result in which MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai emerged victorious was announced.

And the ZANU-PF politiburo met in Harare on Wednesday and resolved to launch its presidential run-off campaigns today. The ruling party has also unveiled its new theme for the runoff, which is '100 per cent empowerment, total Independence'.

ZANU-PF media sub-committee chairman Patrick Chinamasa confirmed the unveiling of the new theme and the launch of the campaigns.

Chinamasa said ZANU-PF was geared for the runoff and that it had established sub-committees to reach out to all of its supporters countrywide.

He said the ruling party's campaign message was that Zimbabweans should have full entitlement to unfettered sovereignty and political independence.

"We are saying 100 per cent total freedom, political and civil rights. We are 100 per cent Zimbabwean. We just do not want Zimbabweans to fly the national flag while former colonisers enjoy the economy," he said.

On post-election political violence, Chinamasa said ZANU-PF was calling for joint teams from the two parties to investigate any allegations of violence.

"If facts show that it's MDC or ZANU-PF, the perpetrators must be arrested," Chinamasa said.

And Dr Salomao said Zimbabwe's political environment was not yet secure or fair ahead of a presidential runoff.

"At the moment we can't say the playing ground is safe or will be fair, but we are there to create a conducive environment for everybody to be confident," Dr Salomao told Reuters in Maputo, Mozambique.

He indicated that there was a decision by the AU and SADC to increase the number of election observers for the runoff.
"The minimum is 250 in all and the minimum for SADC is only 200 which can go well beyond 300," he said.

Dr Salomao dismissed calls by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai for the regional bloc to send peacekeepers to Zimbabwe ahead of the runoff.
"We don't have a war in Zimbabwe and what we need to do is to address the issue and create a conducive environment and not put up a standby peacekeeping force," Dr Salomao said. "We have a team on the ground to address issues and if we see there is a problem we will solve it."

He called on the two rival parties, ZANU-PF and MDC to help ensure that the vote can proceed smoothly.

"Don't provoke each other, stay in your corner, mobilise your fellows, present your programmes. That's how they should behave," Dr Salomao said.

The actual date for the presidential runoff is yet to be announced by the electoral commission.

According to official results from the ZEC, Tsvangirai received 1,195,562 votes, representing 47.9 per cent of the valid votes, while President Mugabe polled 1,079,730 votes, which is 43.2 percent of the valid votes.

Makoni won 207,470 votes, which translates into 8.3 per cent of the valid votes, with Langton Towungana, another independent candidate, getting 14,503 votes, translating into 0.6 percent of the votes.

A total of 39,975 ballots were spoilt while the percentage poll was calculated to be 42.7 per cent.

Labels: SADC, ZEC

posted by MrK @ 4:07 AM