Beyond Violence urges peace following Zimbabwe's elections

We at Beyond Violence would like to state that the Zimbabwe election on July 31st has failed to be fair, free and credible. We take this stance based on many factors covered by the ZESN election observations, including problems with the availability and integrity of the Voters' Roll, and the suspicious treatment and disenfranchisement of high numbers of eligible voters.

For more information on the problems during the election, check the ZESN's report on the harmonised elections.

While we understand that a lot of people have extremely strong feelings about this we urge the people to remain peaceful and focus on organising non-violent solutions.

The lack of violence in the election process needs to be commended and celebrated by all Zimbabweans. However, Beyond Violence believes that changes need to be made to the electoral process to secure Zimbabwe's democratic future.

While Beyond Violence recognises the tension of the situation, and the strong feelings associated with it, we strongly advocate that citizens organise themselves non-violently around the following actions to find a strong, safe path to a free and fair future.

  - ZANU PF, as the current Government in power, need to immediately implement the electoral reforms that failed to be put in place prior to these elections. These included changes to media access, electoral process and the security sector. The failure of the Government to implement the reforms has robbed Zimbabwe of a democratic election. This situation needs to be changed instantly if the Government is committed to listening to the voice of its people.
  - Zimbabweans need to be guaranteed freedom of association and freedom of speech without restraint.
  - Voter education need to be legalised in any form at any time without needing official consent.
  - Voter registration needs to start now for the next election, and be a continuing and ongoing process constantly engaging all eligible voters.
  - The integrity of the voter roll needs to be maintained to to ensure credibility. All dead or absentee voters need to be eliminated.
  - Expatriate Zimbabwean citizens need to be guaranteed the opportunity to vote from abroad.
 
Our message to Zimbabwe is one of support. We support the people to democratically elect the representative of their choice, and to engage in an election process that is seen by all as free, fair and credible. We urge all Zimbabweans to organise your communities and commit to nonviolence in order to achieve safety and freedom peacefully. By combining this kind of local and international support, we can secure a peaceful future for Zimbabwe.


Make a free phone call to sign our petition demanding nonviolence for Zimbabweans. You will receive a text message confirmation:
 +263 77 15 75 004, +263 77 15 75 001
Or visit: www.beyondviolence.org/zimbabwe
Text +263739325251 or +263739325252 to report incidents of violence
Follow the movement and join the discussion on:
www.facebook.com/beyondviolenceorg
www.twitter.com/bvzimbabwe