Zim poll mired in confusion as Mugabe postpones nominations

Zim poll mired in confusion as Mugabe postpones nominations

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THERE were signs of confusion Wednesday over Zimbabwe's controversial forthcoming national elections as the government was forced to postpone the deadline for nominations for presidential candidates and an election watchdog said hastily organised preliminary procedures had been 'unconstitutional.'

Two weeks ago President Robert Mugabe announced that presidential, parliamentary and local government elections would be held on March 29, ignoring demands by opposition parties for them to be held in June.

State radio said Wednesday that nomination day, that had been set for this Friday -- when would-be candidates have to register their candidacies and pay deposits at a specially convened court -- had been postponed until February 15.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the postponement was called because the ruling Zanu PF party and the two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) did not have time to prepare the many different documents needed to accompany applications for nomination.

Zanu PF was meant to have completed its primary elections for candidates on Tuesday night, but the process was continuing Wednesday.

Each party has to select candidates for 210 parliamentary seats, 60 senate seats and 2,000 local government wards.

Experts have warned that there is nowhere near enough time for the electoral process to be held without severe flaws, following major increases in the number of constituencies and with voting to be held, for the first time in the country's history, on a single day, instead of three days as in previous elections.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), a respected local election monitoring group, said Wednesday that Mugabe had been "making a mockery" of the electoral process so far.

The delimitation report, which sets the boundaries of all constituencies, had been formally issued without being debated in parliament as the constitution demands, the group said.

"The president has acted unconstitutionally," ZESN said in a statement.

The report was produced by the Zimbabwe Election Commission appointed by Mugabe to run elections. Only one copy had been made available in parliament to MPs, ZESN said, and parties had had no opportunity to examine the document to decide where to field candidates.

This week Veritas, an independent legal watchdog, said it had obtained a copy of the delimitation report, but that it contained no maps of the new constituencies, only verbal descriptions in technical surveying terms.

Mugabe's announcement of the election date effectively scuttled talks mediated by South African president Thabo Mbeki between Zanu PF and the MDC factions, meant to reform the country's repressive and one-sided security, media and electoral laws to ensure elections this year would be free and fair.

Independent observers have dismissed 83-year-old Mugabe's victories in the last three national elections as the result of rigging. - DPA
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