Zimbabwe exiles demand right to vote

The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum has made another call for the Inclusive Government to respect the right of the Diaspora to vote in coming elections.

In a statement marking International Day of Democracy the group said “although about 4 million Zimbabweans have been externally displaced, the Inclusive Government in Zimbabwe and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) continue to pay scant regard to the right of those in exile to vote.”

Executive Director Gabriel Shumba said “Apart from the rule of law and respect for human rights, the right to vote goes to the core of any democracy. To deny a significant number of the populace such a fundamental entitlement would render any electoral result questionable in terms of its legitimacy.”  

Zimbabwe Exiles Forum has since called on the Inclusive Government, SADC and the African Union to ensure that Zimbabweans in exile are allowed a say in the referendum that seeks to bring in a new constitution for the country, as well as in the anticipated elections in 2011.  

The organization also urged South Africa, which has recently started a project to document Zimbabweans in that country, to ensure that it uses its role as facilitator in Zimbabwe to make ZEF’s call a reality.