News / Press Release
ZEC admitting 2013 election irregularities not good enough, must declare result null and void
04 Sep 2014 at 17:20hrs | Views
It is disappointing that Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) is still failing to take the seriously flawed July 2013 elections with the seriousness it deserves. In its latest report to parliament ZEC admits to being stampeded into the election but only dwells on the minor issues and is silent on the big issues.
"On the negative side, the new constitution imposed new duties and obligations on the commission that the commission had no time to pilot test or rehearse on before the actual poll," reads the report. "The special vote for members of the disciplined forces and staff of the commission who were to be away from wards on voting day was one such new feature introduced by the Electoral Act that in hindsight should have been rehearsed before it was implemented. The commission would be the first to admit that the implementation of the special vote posed a number of logistical challenges that must be addressed and avoided at all costs in the future."
ZEC report is silent on the increase of polling station from 2 000 to 9 000 just two days before the elections; the failure by the Police to investigate the cases of bussed voters, we all saw on our TVs; the failure to produce voters roll, even now a year after the elections; etc. The voters roll is the smoking gun of this rigged vote!
The special vote and other issues the report dwelt on at length were problems but these were feathers and not the meat of the 2013 elections. If ZEC had addressed the big issues then the report would not have failed to conclude that the whole electoral process was NOT free, fair and credible.
Zimbabwe is facing a serious economic meltdown but for a year now has failed to address the economic problems behind it because of the political crisis caused by the blatant rigging of the July 2013 elections. It was ZEC's responsibility to ensure the elections were free, fair and credible and, given that they were not, it was ZEC's responsibility to say so. ZEC has ducked its responsibility one both accounts and this half-hearted admission that the July 2013 elections were not as they should have been is not good enough.
ZEC should stop fiddling around and declare the whole electoral process was not free, fair and credible and thus results of the 2013 elections are null and void!
ZEC, Zanu PF MPs, Zanu PF cabinet and President Mugabe himself should all stop fiddling and admit the 2013 elections were rigged, this regime is illegitimate, so that the nation can start the task of holding free, fair and credible elections. Zimbabwe is not going to address the economic meltdown without first resolving the issue legitimacy. This issue is not going away, sooner or later Zanu PF will be force to bite the bullet and deal with it!
zimbabwesocialdemocrats@gmail.com
"On the negative side, the new constitution imposed new duties and obligations on the commission that the commission had no time to pilot test or rehearse on before the actual poll," reads the report. "The special vote for members of the disciplined forces and staff of the commission who were to be away from wards on voting day was one such new feature introduced by the Electoral Act that in hindsight should have been rehearsed before it was implemented. The commission would be the first to admit that the implementation of the special vote posed a number of logistical challenges that must be addressed and avoided at all costs in the future."
ZEC report is silent on the increase of polling station from 2 000 to 9 000 just two days before the elections; the failure by the Police to investigate the cases of bussed voters, we all saw on our TVs; the failure to produce voters roll, even now a year after the elections; etc. The voters roll is the smoking gun of this rigged vote!
The special vote and other issues the report dwelt on at length were problems but these were feathers and not the meat of the 2013 elections. If ZEC had addressed the big issues then the report would not have failed to conclude that the whole electoral process was NOT free, fair and credible.
Zimbabwe is facing a serious economic meltdown but for a year now has failed to address the economic problems behind it because of the political crisis caused by the blatant rigging of the July 2013 elections. It was ZEC's responsibility to ensure the elections were free, fair and credible and, given that they were not, it was ZEC's responsibility to say so. ZEC has ducked its responsibility one both accounts and this half-hearted admission that the July 2013 elections were not as they should have been is not good enough.
ZEC should stop fiddling around and declare the whole electoral process was not free, fair and credible and thus results of the 2013 elections are null and void!
ZEC, Zanu PF MPs, Zanu PF cabinet and President Mugabe himself should all stop fiddling and admit the 2013 elections were rigged, this regime is illegitimate, so that the nation can start the task of holding free, fair and credible elections. Zimbabwe is not going to address the economic meltdown without first resolving the issue legitimacy. This issue is not going away, sooner or later Zanu PF will be force to bite the bullet and deal with it!
zimbabwesocialdemocrats@gmail.com
Source - Zimbabwe Social Democrats
