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The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Hon. Prof. Amon Murwira, today met with European Union Ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe in order to update them on Zimbabwe’s position on the EU Electoral Observation Mission’s (EU EOM) Preliminary Report.
The Hon. Minister stated, “Against this backdrop, Zimbabwe finds it disturbing and unfortunate that the EU Electoral Observation Mission deliberately issued a broad statement full of misrepresentations and allegations.
“In large part, the Preliminary Report was not based on actual observation of the election and misled the world about the conduct of our elections,” he said.
Minister Murwira underlined that Election Observers are expected to monitor how an election is run and give recommendations on areas for improvement, which Zimbabwe can accept or reject.
He said on 23 August, Zimbabwe voted in a peaceful manner, a fact that has been acknowledged by all Observer Missions.
“To say that the election was peaceful is not to say there were no glitches, like in any election. For example, minor glitches like the late distribution of materials in a few locations were timeously corrected.”
He said it is highly unfortunate that the EU EOM made conclusions based on hearsay, and on the basis of one-sided information from the opposition, as there appears to be a wholesome adoption of their positions on many issues.
“We had hoped that the EU EOM would observe our elections with an open mind and be impartial, as agreed in the Administrative Arrangement signed between the Ministry and the EU, as well as the Code of Conduct for Observers. A preliminary report of this nature already points to a negative final report, which is clearly designed to damage the image of Zimbabwe.
“It is unacceptable for an Observation Mission to arrogate itself the duty to assess our democratic institutions that were constitutionally established. This is gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign State and, therefore, totally unacceptable.”
Turning to the issues raised in the preliminary report, Minister Murwira responded as follows:
The Political Environment
Zimbabweans are peace-loving people and were able to demonstrate that prior to the election and on the day of the Harmonised Elections. H.E. President, Dr E.D Mnangagwa, during his campaign, emphasised the importance of a peaceful plebiscite, and it is patently clear that the people heeded his message. It is, therefore, important that information alleging intimidation of voters be verified before observers make conclusions. For example, the huge voter turnout, and the peace that prevailed cannot justify any allegation of intimidation.
Legal Framework
Our Constitution and electoral laws provide an adequate basis for conducting elections in line with regional and international standards. In our view, Observer Missions have no legal jurisdiction to comment on our Constitution and laws and make judgemental pronouncements on our elections. In addition, our Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, assembly, and association. It is clearly unacceptable, in Zimbabwe, as it is in any country for foreign interests to be a factor in domestic politics, and to agitate for a particular position in internal policy debates and in our legislature.
Independence of the Judiciary
The attack on the Judiciary is unjustified. Unsubstantiated allegations against such sovereign institutions, which are the backbone of our democracy, are very unfortunate and unacceptable. In that regard, we value democracy and democratic institutions and will do everything in our power to preserve them.
Registration of Candidates
The allegations that unreasonably high fees, and ZEC’s insistence on USD cash payments, hampered inclusivity in the elections cannot be substantiated. Therefore, this was not an issue in our election.
Media Coverage
All political players had the opportunity to present their programmes to the media, and it was not the responsibility of ZEC to mobilise other political players for that purpose.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, which the EU EOM characterises as the Patriotic Act, does not in any way infringe on the freedoms of assembly and association as alleged. It simply criminalises wilful injury of the sovereignty and national interests of Zimbabwe. The Police provided statistics on the rallies that they did not authorise which showed Zanu Pf had more rallies banned than any other party.
Administration of the Elections
ZEC gave a detailed explanation of some of the unforeseen challenges encountered, including the logistical challenges. To characterise the challenges as significant irregularities is unfair because ZEC promptly addressed them and the period of voting for the affected polling stations was extended backed by the relevant Statutory Instrument.
Campaign Environment
It is not in our tradition as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to come to the defence of any of the political parties, let alone their affiliates. The parties can do that themselves. We, however, observe that a ruling party affiliate has come under relentless attack by certain observers, including the EU EOM, without being accorded an interview or given a chance to defend themselves. This is not consistent with the basic principles of justice and democracy, which require that the affiliate in question should also be heard just like the other stakeholder organisations.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is our sincere hope that the final report of the EU EOM will reflect what was observed on the ground, and not a collection of opposition grievances, and speculations from those who want to discredit our elections
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade stands ready to collaborate with the European Union Election Observer Mission and other observers from all over the world, who wish to contribute to our democratic processes.