(HERALD ZW) Massive AU nod for Zim poll system
September 21, 2013
Zvamaida Murwira and Zvifadzo Lubombo
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Rita Makarau who was head of the African Union election observer mission in Rwanda addresses the media in that country on Thursday
THE African Union has reaffirmed confidence in Zimbabwe’s election management by
appointing Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Rita Makarau head of the African Union Observer Mission to the Rwandan general elections held early this week. The appointment flew in the face of claims by MDC-T and its Western handlers, the European Union and the United States, who sought to cast aspersions on the July 31 harmonised elections by claiming ZEC’s handling of the plebiscite, was shambolic.
While the AU, Sadc, Comesa, the African Caribbean and Pacific countries and the rest of the progressive world endorsed the harmonised elections in Zimbabwe as free, fair, peaceful and credible, the Anglo-Saxon alliance that conceived and sponsored the MDC-T has refused to endorse the elections in the wake of MDC-T’s crushing defeat.
Sadc went a step further by electing President Mugabe deputy chair and Summit Troika member, effectively moving Zimbabwe from an agenda item to the leadership of the bloc.
The AU Election Observer Mission to Rwanda comprised 30 experienced observers drawn from the Pan-African Parliament, African Ambassadors/Permanent Representatives to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, African Election Management Bodies and Civil Society Organisations in Africa.
The observers arrived in Rwanda on September 9 and most of them were to remain until today. The mission was assisted by a group of experts from the AU Commission, the Pan-African Parliament and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.
In an interview soon after she touched down at Harare International Airport from Kigali yesterday, Justice Makarau said she was humbled by the confidence shown in her and ZEC by the AU.
“It is a proud moment for me and Zimbabwe to lead a team of observers from the African Union. I really feel quite honoured to represent my country.”
Justice Makarau said the new system learnt from Rwanda was the obligation imposed by the law on polling officers before an election.
“Polling officers take oaths of loyalty to the country before an election,” she said.
“They swear that they will treat every candidate equally. I thought it was a good practice.”
While in Rwanda, Justice Makarau addressed the media in Kigali emphasising the continental body’s desire to see the conduct of a free and fair election.
“We are here to make sure that the election is free and fair and we expect Rwandans to come out in big numbers and vote,” she was quoted by the media in Rwanda as saying during a Press conference.
As part of her activities, Justice Makarau interacted with relevant stakeholders in Rwanda, including government authorities, the Electoral Commission, political parties and civil society organisations.
She also led the AU mission in observing all stages of the electoral process, including campaigning, voting, counting and result tabulation.
Justice Makarau used her experience which saw Zimbabwe successfully holding the July 31 harmonised elections, which were certified as free, peaceful and credible by Sadc and the AU, among other progressive institutions.
A cross-section of Zimbabweans commended Justice Makarau’s appointment, saying it showed the AU’s confidence in Zimbabwe’s poll management system.
Midlands State University lecturer Dr Nhamo Mhiripiri said Justice Makarau was qualified to lead the AU mission.
“She has the qualities and she is a learned person as far as the elections are concerned. She successfully ran elections which made us to have the new Government, so her system works and other countries would want to tap from that.”
Veteran politician Mrs Margaret Dongo said Justice Makarau built a good record by handling the Zimbabwean election in accordance to the Constitution.
“It’s because of the 2013 election which have left a record not only in Africa, but internationally,” she said.
“This shows that Zimbabwe is capable of holding peaceful elections whose system is emulated by others.
“Rwanda recognised the important role by ZEC and the smooth running of the Zimbabwean election.”
The Rwandan poll gave women an overwhelming majority in Parliament, an unprecedented 64 percent representation in the Chamber of Deputies.
For instance, during the Rwanda Patriotic Front primaries at the grassroots, it was the party’s unwritten rule for the voters to pick both a man and a woman in keeping with the gender equality principle.
Subsequently, both sexes were practically allocated an equal number of seats on the party’s 80-member list of parliamentary candidates, which also included eight from its four coalition partners.
As a result, out of 41 seats that went to the RPF-led coalition during the universal suffrage for the 53 openly contested seats, 20 of them are occupied by women, representing 49 percent.
In the Social Democratic Party camp, four out of the seven candidates who made it to Parliament are women, while two out of the five seats won by the Liberal Party went to women.
Labels: 2013 ELECTIONS (ZW), AU, RITA MAKARAU
Read more...
(TALKZIMBABWE) Election system tamper-proof: ZEC chairperson
This article was written by Our reporter on 11 August, at 07 : 43 AM
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Rita Makarau has reiterated that last month’s harmonised elections were credible, free and fair, saying the system is tamper proof and those who say otherwise should bring the evidence.
She reiterated that those spreading rumours of rigging were doing so “from a position of ignorance”. The ZEC boss conceded that holding the elections within a short time frame was always going to be a challenge but hailed her team for rising up to the challenge.
Several election observers passed the polls as free and credible while the MDC-T and its Western allies insist that there was rampant rigging during voting.
However, without singling out the MDC-T which on Friday filed a petition at the Constitutional Court seeking the nullification of the presidential election citing poll irregularities, Justice Makarau challenged those making rigging allegations to produce evidence to back their claims.
“The elections were free firstly because we did not receive any report of anyone who was compelled to vote in a particular way.
“We did not receive any report of any case of violence inside or outside the polling stations throughout the country,” she said.
“The atmosphere was peaceful. People were free either to go and vote or to stay at home and Zimbabweans were free to go and vote for a candidate of their choice.
“As ZEC, we are saying the elections were fair since no political party was prejudiced in all our processes. We treated all political parties fairly.”
Justice Makarau added that although the voters’ roll was not provided on time to all political parties, the processes and procedures did not favour any political party.
Justice Makarau noted that the voting process left no room for any party to rig the elections.
“The process was very, very clear,” she said.
“We spelt out the electoral processes. Those processes did not give room for rigging because all the party agents were present from the time we opened our polling booths until closing time.
“I would be surprised if anybody says there was something amiss.”
Justice Makarau noted that the more than 18 000 polling agents who represented the contesting parties accepted the results at the polling station they were stationed at when voting ended at 7pm.
The ZEC chairperson, however, said that the commission faced a number of challenges in its execution of its mandate.
“The biggest challenge, I would say, was the tight time-frame we had to operate in. The funds were released late and they came in drips and drabs,” she said adding that work was already underway to ensure that challenges faced in the last election are addressed.
“There are areas that we need to start working on now as we prepare for the next elections. There are grey areas that we may feel will need amendments to the law. We will have a re-look of some parts of the process,” she said.
Labels: 2013 ELECTIONS (ZW), RITA MAKARAU
Read more...
(SUNDAY MAIL ZW)Zec’s Iron Ladies
Sunday, 14 July 2013 00:00
Lincoln Towindo
In February this year, Zimbabwe scored a first. The appointment of Justice Rita Makarau to chair the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) marked an era-defining moment in the country’s history. Along with renowned administrator Mrs Joyce Kazembe as second-in-command at Zec, elections in Zimbabwe were officially placed under the watch of women for the first time.
Given that 2013 was an election year, placing two women at the helm of the electoral body was interpreted by some sceptics as a “gamble” and had its fair share of criticism and praise.
Some people wondered: Could the authorities have been off the mark by placing women in the hot seat traditionally considered a “manly” post? As soon as the appointment was announced, the jury was out.
Nearly four months following the change of guard and with harmonised elections on the horizon, popular sentiment is that the two have so far acquitted themselves very well.
During their time in office, the duo has morphed into a fearsome administrative tag team, brooking no nonsense in the execution of their mandate and earning themselves a moniker the “Iron Ladies”.
Having proven themselves for years as vibrant public administrators and shrewd legal sages throughout their careers, Justice Makarau and Mrs Kazembe have so far gone about their business with consummate ease and calmness.
The duo’s administration credentials and rising profile were further enhanced in the wake of a flawlessly managed constitutional referendum in March.
However, they still await what may well be the biggest test of their professional careers — the July 31 harmonised elections. But with less than a fortnight to go before the poll, the dynamic duo has barely shown any signs of buckling under pressure.
During their short stint at the apex, the dynamic duo has shown that they are indeed “woman enough” to handle the task. Justice Makarau attributes her robust demeanour to stakeholder support.
“It is a very demanding position; we are not underestimating it. The support and goodwill from all sectors — political parties; the media and civil society — has greatly helped,” says the chief election driver.
“What has also assisted is remaining focused on what is in the best interest of the country. In all situations I ask myself, ‘What is in the best interest of the country, and try to deliver.”
Information management is a critical aspect of election administration and under Justice Makarau and Mrs Kazembe, Zec has come out with flying colours.
At many a Press briefing, some journalists have oftentimes come for some firm albeit graceful chastising.
Under the leadership of the iron ladies, the commission has also garnered widespread praise for its professionalism. Being an impartial adjudicator is not new to Justice Makarau. After all, she is a former Judge President and also sat, briefly, on the Supreme Court bench.
At one point, she was a non-constituency Member of Parliament. She comes highly regarded and is often described as a woman of virtue who commands a great deal of respect and reverence right across society.
During her stint at Zec, she is widely revered for not showing any signs of bias towards any political side. She remains well commended for that trait.
Never the one afraid to speak her mind, as Judge President in 2009, Justice Makarau courted the ire of fellow legal practitioners after she fired a broadside at fellow judges and lawyers who dabbled in politics.
“It is my view that sadly, a few of us, judges and legal practitioners alike, have allowed the transient politics of the day to affect the relationship between profession and the bench,” she said speaking at the opening of the 2009 legal year.
“The time-honoured duty of all legal practitioners to seek the truth and to assist the court at all times, has, in some instances, and on account of politics, been thrown overboard.”
Mrs Kazembe, on the other hand, was caretaker boss at Zec when the then chairperson Justice Simpson Mutambanengwe was unavailable.
She managed to steer the Zec ship in the tempestuous waters that was the inclusive Government.
Mrs Kazembe is a renowned administrator who has held several high-profile posts in academia and civil society.
Having been thrown into the deep end, the two women have displayed momentous rigidity which most people, including their male counterparts, can only dream of, putting to rest the dogmatic mantra — “it’s a man’s world”.
Never afraid to crack the whip when necessary, Zimbabweans can rest assured the forthcoming elections are in good hands. But the jury remains out as the general elections approach.
Fact Box
Justice Rita Makarau
* Born December 7, 1960
* 1982 Graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Degree from UZ
* 1983 Graduated with an Honours Degree in Law from UZ
* 1983-1984 Public Prosecutor at the Magistrates’ Courts
* 1984-1988 Private practice
* 1988-1989 Secretary for Legal Affairs at Parastatals Commission
* 1990-2000 Private Practice
* 1995-2000 Part-time UZ lecturer
* 1997-Non-Constituency MP
* 1998-1999 Commissioner at Constitutional Commission
* December 2000-Appointed High Court Judge
* 2006-Judge President
* 2010-Appointed to Supreme Court bench
* February 2013-Appointed Zec chairperson
Fact Box
Mrs Joyce Kazembe
* 1983-Attained UZ Bachelor of Administration (Honours) Degree
* June 1990-Joined the Sapes Trust — served for 18 years in senior managerial capacities and as Trustee
* 1999-2000 Commissioner and Administrator, Constitutional Commission
* 2001-2002 Governor — Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation
* 1988-2007 Councillor — Catholic University in Zimbabwe
* 1995-2001 Vice-President (Southern Africa) — African Association of Political Science
* 2005-2010 Mambo Press Board of Directors
* 2001-2005 Commissioner at Electoral Supervisory Commission of Zimbabwe
Labels: JOYCE KAZEMBE, RITA MAKARAU, WOMEN, ZEC
Read more...
