News / National
No to United Nations interference in Zimbabwe elections: Zanu-PF
13 Apr 2011 at 04:20hrs | Views
President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party are headed for a showdown with the Southern African Development Community and the United Nations over the supervision and funding of elections that they insist should be held this year.
Sources said the United Nations Development Program has approached Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa of ZANU-PF offering to fund and supervise the elections. Britain has also expressed readiness to fund the elections road-map still being drafted.
But ZANU-PF party hardliners said none of the proposals are acceptable. They accuse the UN of having used its supervisory role in Ivory Coast to side with Alassane Ouattara, recognized by the international community as the winner, and to oust the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, for fighting "the imperialist West."
ZANU-PF hardliners are said to be wary of a SADC supervisory role. Party spokesman Rugare Gumbo said ZANU-PF is not comfortable with Western intervention.
But Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Regional Coordinator Dewa Mavhinga said Harare must accept outside supervision in order for the elections to regain legitimacy.
The Institute for Democracy in Africa, meanwhile, has urged SADC to put teeth in the elections road-map being drafted by negotiators for the unity government parties.
IDASA said the road map will be no more effective than the Global Political Agreement for power sharing unless it stipulates clear consequences violations of its terms.
The group urged South African President Jacob Zuma, SADC's mediator in the perennial Harare political crisis, to present SADC with conditions and benchmarks for an electoral road-map that is recognized by all the unity government principals.
IDASA emphasized however that SADC must take a role to enforce the new political document through its implementation as elections are called and held.
Political analysts said the proposal has merit, but questioned SADC's ability to enforce rules set out in an electoral planning document. Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya said the lack of power to enforce agreements is one of SADC's weaknesses.
Sources said the United Nations Development Program has approached Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa of ZANU-PF offering to fund and supervise the elections. Britain has also expressed readiness to fund the elections road-map still being drafted.
But ZANU-PF party hardliners said none of the proposals are acceptable. They accuse the UN of having used its supervisory role in Ivory Coast to side with Alassane Ouattara, recognized by the international community as the winner, and to oust the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, for fighting "the imperialist West."
ZANU-PF hardliners are said to be wary of a SADC supervisory role. Party spokesman Rugare Gumbo said ZANU-PF is not comfortable with Western intervention.
But Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Regional Coordinator Dewa Mavhinga said Harare must accept outside supervision in order for the elections to regain legitimacy.
IDASA said the road map will be no more effective than the Global Political Agreement for power sharing unless it stipulates clear consequences violations of its terms.
The group urged South African President Jacob Zuma, SADC's mediator in the perennial Harare political crisis, to present SADC with conditions and benchmarks for an electoral road-map that is recognized by all the unity government principals.
IDASA emphasized however that SADC must take a role to enforce the new political document through its implementation as elections are called and held.
Political analysts said the proposal has merit, but questioned SADC's ability to enforce rules set out in an electoral planning document. Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya said the lack of power to enforce agreements is one of SADC's weaknesses.
Source - Byo24News
