News / Press Release
ZEN welcomes preliminary statement by the EU Election Observation Mission
03 Aug 2018 at 08:53hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Europe Network (ZEN) sincerely regrets the violence that occurred in Zimbabwe following the harmonised elections held on 30 July 2018, and condemns the disproportionate response of Zimbabwe's security forces and the killings and injuries that followed.
Despite the post-election violence, ZEN said it has noted several improvements in the electoral process and environment compared to previous elections. We hope the peaceful conduct of the elections, during the pre-election period and the election day, will form a foundation for future elections.
"At the same time we share the concerns expressed by Zimbabwean civil society, who have pointed at several structural issues that affect the credibility of the electoral process. As indicated by ZEN before the election, the process towards composing the voters roll, the distribution and processing of the ballot papers, the independence of ZEC, and the subtle forms of voter intimidation all influence the credibility of these elections," ZEN Coordinator Hugo Knoppert said.
"As such, ZEN welcomes the preliminary statement by the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) which we recognize as a fair and balanced overview that addresses key concerns."
He said as a network of European NGOs focusing on Europe – Zimbabwe relations, we hope and trust the EU EOM will further explore the concerns raised and include post-election developments.
"We look forward to the detailed report which should be an important reference for future European cooperation with Zimbabwe," he said.
Despite the post-election violence, ZEN said it has noted several improvements in the electoral process and environment compared to previous elections. We hope the peaceful conduct of the elections, during the pre-election period and the election day, will form a foundation for future elections.
"At the same time we share the concerns expressed by Zimbabwean civil society, who have pointed at several structural issues that affect the credibility of the electoral process. As indicated by ZEN before the election, the process towards composing the voters roll, the distribution and processing of the ballot papers, the independence of ZEC, and the subtle forms of voter intimidation all influence the credibility of these elections," ZEN Coordinator Hugo Knoppert said.
He said as a network of European NGOs focusing on Europe – Zimbabwe relations, we hope and trust the EU EOM will further explore the concerns raised and include post-election developments.
"We look forward to the detailed report which should be an important reference for future European cooperation with Zimbabwe," he said.
Source - ZEN
