Opinion / Columnist
Zanu PF is blatantly rigging 2023 and EU gearing to grant it legitimacy under guess of 'constructive dialogue'!
13 Oct 2022 at 18:13hrs | Views
"EU abandons confrontation with Zimbabwe!" screamed The Herald headline!
"CHARMED by President Mnangagwa's open door policy and far-reaching economic reforms, more investors will be coming from the European Union (EU) which is prepared to extend loans to the private sector as relations between the 27-member bloc and Zimbabwe continue to improve," The Herald reported.
"After presenting his credentials to President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare yesterday, incoming EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Jobst Von Kirchmann, said the bloc is available for constructive dialogue with Harare.
"Prior to the advent of the Second Republic, relations between Zimbabwe and the EU were strained after the latter sided with Britain in unjustifiably sanctioning the country following its land reform programme that redressed land inequities.
"But President Mnangagwa's Zimbabwe is Open for Business policy has seen a number of European countries setting up shop in the country in yet another remarkable feat that Ambassador Kirchmann said can only be deepened."
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country is a failed state, a pariah state, ruled by corrupt and murderous tyrants whose 42 years in power is because they rigged elections.
The trouble with President Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies, propagandists and apologist is that they believe they can ignore the facts and reality, make up their own narratives instead, and the whole world will be as they wish.
President Mnangagwa's "Zimbabwe is open for business!" mantra, for example, was a lead balloon that never took off. He promised to stamp out corruption, to hold free elections, etc.; he never delivered on any of these promises and thus confirming that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state, there will be no meaningful economic recovery and to say otherwise is wishful thinking.
The fight for Zimbabwe to implement the democratic reforms and hold free and fair elections is therefore more than just fight for restoration of this basic human right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country. It is a fight for good governance, fight to end the curse of rigged elections and to cleanse the nation of pariah state stigma.
"My mission here is targeting constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe. I said this today when the President said the EU no longer has sanctions on Zimbabwe, that is exactly what makes it possible for us to engage on trade aspects, we are the fourth largest Zimbabwean trading partner in the country," said Ambassador Kirchmann.
What constructive dialogue can the EU have with this Zanu PF regime?
The EU had a 246 strong team of election observers for the 2018 Zimbabwe elections and they dismissed the elections as a farce.
"Notably, major shortcomings in the pre-election environment impacted on the free expression of the will of electors, state resources were misused in favour of the incumbent and coverage by state media was heavily biased in favour of the ruling party. Further, the electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability," EU Observer Mission final report stated.
"Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."
Why the EU Foreign Ministers disregarded the EU Observer Mission's damning report on Zimbabwe and reward the Zanu PF regime by lifting the sanctions imposed on the regime for failing to uphold human rights including the failure to hold free elections was a mystery.
The 2018 EU election observer mission report made 23 recommendations to bring the Zimbabwe elections process to international standards. And a month ago the mission team leader reported that not even one of the recommendations was meaningfully implemented. Not even one!
ZEC has failed to produce even something as basic as a verified voters' roll, for Pete's sake!
Zanu PF is set to blatantly rig the 2023 elections. Blatantly rig the 2023 elections!
Does "constructive dialogue" with Zanu PF mean the EU is going to lower the international accepted elections standards and grant vote rigging Zanu PF political legitimacy?
After 42 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule that has left the national economy in ruins, forced millions of our people to scatter as economic and/or political refugees and the millions still in the country are living in abject poverty; of course, Zimbabweans are desperate for meaningful change, for free and fair elections. For EU, of all people, to condone Zanu PF's continued flagrant denial of ordinary Zimbabweans' freedoms and human rights and dignity is not just an insult, it is an act of dehumanising betrayal.
"CHARMED by President Mnangagwa's open door policy and far-reaching economic reforms, more investors will be coming from the European Union (EU) which is prepared to extend loans to the private sector as relations between the 27-member bloc and Zimbabwe continue to improve," The Herald reported.
"After presenting his credentials to President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare yesterday, incoming EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Jobst Von Kirchmann, said the bloc is available for constructive dialogue with Harare.
"Prior to the advent of the Second Republic, relations between Zimbabwe and the EU were strained after the latter sided with Britain in unjustifiably sanctioning the country following its land reform programme that redressed land inequities.
"But President Mnangagwa's Zimbabwe is Open for Business policy has seen a number of European countries setting up shop in the country in yet another remarkable feat that Ambassador Kirchmann said can only be deepened."
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country is a failed state, a pariah state, ruled by corrupt and murderous tyrants whose 42 years in power is because they rigged elections.
The trouble with President Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies, propagandists and apologist is that they believe they can ignore the facts and reality, make up their own narratives instead, and the whole world will be as they wish.
President Mnangagwa's "Zimbabwe is open for business!" mantra, for example, was a lead balloon that never took off. He promised to stamp out corruption, to hold free elections, etc.; he never delivered on any of these promises and thus confirming that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state, there will be no meaningful economic recovery and to say otherwise is wishful thinking.
The fight for Zimbabwe to implement the democratic reforms and hold free and fair elections is therefore more than just fight for restoration of this basic human right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country. It is a fight for good governance, fight to end the curse of rigged elections and to cleanse the nation of pariah state stigma.
"My mission here is targeting constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe. I said this today when the President said the EU no longer has sanctions on Zimbabwe, that is exactly what makes it possible for us to engage on trade aspects, we are the fourth largest Zimbabwean trading partner in the country," said Ambassador Kirchmann.
The EU had a 246 strong team of election observers for the 2018 Zimbabwe elections and they dismissed the elections as a farce.
"Notably, major shortcomings in the pre-election environment impacted on the free expression of the will of electors, state resources were misused in favour of the incumbent and coverage by state media was heavily biased in favour of the ruling party. Further, the electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability," EU Observer Mission final report stated.
"Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."
Why the EU Foreign Ministers disregarded the EU Observer Mission's damning report on Zimbabwe and reward the Zanu PF regime by lifting the sanctions imposed on the regime for failing to uphold human rights including the failure to hold free elections was a mystery.
The 2018 EU election observer mission report made 23 recommendations to bring the Zimbabwe elections process to international standards. And a month ago the mission team leader reported that not even one of the recommendations was meaningfully implemented. Not even one!
ZEC has failed to produce even something as basic as a verified voters' roll, for Pete's sake!
Zanu PF is set to blatantly rig the 2023 elections. Blatantly rig the 2023 elections!
Does "constructive dialogue" with Zanu PF mean the EU is going to lower the international accepted elections standards and grant vote rigging Zanu PF political legitimacy?
After 42 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule that has left the national economy in ruins, forced millions of our people to scatter as economic and/or political refugees and the millions still in the country are living in abject poverty; of course, Zimbabweans are desperate for meaningful change, for free and fair elections. For EU, of all people, to condone Zanu PF's continued flagrant denial of ordinary Zimbabweans' freedoms and human rights and dignity is not just an insult, it is an act of dehumanising betrayal.
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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