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Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition turn to Sadc over Zimbabwe polls
27 Sep 2023 at 06:21hrs | Views
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC), the largest coalition of civil society organizations in Zimbabwe, has reached out to the current Southern African Development Community (Sadc) chairperson, President João Lourenço of Angola, seeking assistance in calling for a fresh election.
In a letter dated September 18, CiZC chairperson Peter Mutasa highlighted that Sadc has a critical role to play in holding the Zimbabwean government and its institutions accountable. He expressed concerns that the recent elections in Zimbabwe were not considered free, fair, or credible, as indicated in reports from various election observer missions, including Sadc's own observer mission.
Mutasa humbly requested President Lourenço's diplomatic engagement with Harare to help Zimbabwe return to majority rule, emphasizing that the current electoral situation is not conducive for the country, Sadc, or the African Union.
He argued that the people of Zimbabwe, as citizens of Sadc, should receive the same protection from the regional bloc as those in Northern Mozambique or the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Mutasa urged President Lourenço to help Sadc prevent "electoral coups" in the region, noting that Zimbabwe's contested elections and governmental legitimacy issues were hindering economic recovery and sustainable growth.
As a way forward, Mutasa asked President Lourenço to convene an extraordinary Sadc summit to receive reports from all parties involved, including the Zimbabwean government and civil society.
The main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has also revealed its engagement with Sadc leaders to intervene and resolve the electoral result crisis in Zimbabwe.
In a letter dated September 18, CiZC chairperson Peter Mutasa highlighted that Sadc has a critical role to play in holding the Zimbabwean government and its institutions accountable. He expressed concerns that the recent elections in Zimbabwe were not considered free, fair, or credible, as indicated in reports from various election observer missions, including Sadc's own observer mission.
Mutasa humbly requested President Lourenço's diplomatic engagement with Harare to help Zimbabwe return to majority rule, emphasizing that the current electoral situation is not conducive for the country, Sadc, or the African Union.
As a way forward, Mutasa asked President Lourenço to convene an extraordinary Sadc summit to receive reports from all parties involved, including the Zimbabwean government and civil society.
The main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has also revealed its engagement with Sadc leaders to intervene and resolve the electoral result crisis in Zimbabwe.
Source - newsday
