SADC says Zimbabwe elections 'credible'

SADC says Zimbabwe elections 'credible'

CREDIBLE: SADC said Zimbabwe election 'credible expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe'

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By Mutongi Gava

AN OBSERVER mission from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) trade bloc to Zimbabwe’s general elections on Sunday night declared that the March 29 polls were fair and reminded Zimbabweans of the severity of war if they fail to accept the results.

In a contradictory statement in Harare, Angolan foreign minister Jose Markos Barrica, who is heading the SADC mission, acknowledged serious pre-election concerns but still pronounced the election free.

Baricca noted that there was unequal access to the state media, threats issued to the electorate by service chiefs and lack of voter education but still said SADC concluded that the polls were peaceful.

"We noted the impartiality of the state media in its treatment of the political candidates, threatening pronouncement by security chiefs and the presence of police officers at polling stations. We felt as SADC that these concerns need to be addressed in future elections and need to be clarified by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. The irresponsible statements by the security chiefs should be denounced," said Barrica.

He was referring to statements issued by service chiefs like police commissioner general Augustine Chihuri and prisons chief Paradzai Zimondi who said they would not salute Western "puppets", a clear reference to main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and former finance minister Simba Makoni. Both are running against veteran President Robert Mugabe.

"Notwithstanding the concerns highlighted,” Barrica said, “the elections have been a peaceful and credible expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe.”

While there have been no figures so far on turnout levels, the Angolan minister said that the mission had been impressed by the number of people who had voted as well as the atmosphere.

"We saw a much better turnout than we ever imagined," he said.

"People were predicting that there would be violence on polling day, that there would be bloodshed and that no-one would go to the polls but I must say that we all witnessed people going peacefully to vote. There was no violence."

President Robert Mugabe, seeking a sixth term, barred western observers from the poll, insisting that they had a pre-determined disposition to criticise his country’s electoral process.
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