ZEC spokesperson says – ‘election observers are not really important’

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has under-valued the role of observers during elections claiming that their recommendations “are not legally binding”.

Zimbabwe has a long history of conducting disputed elections, which undermines the image of the country in terms of democracy.

This has led to the frequent invitation of local and international organisations to observe the election process with the view of coming up with an objective analysis of the situation on the ground.

But ZEC has undermined the role of observers with its spokesperson Commissioner Jasper Mangwana telling the State controlled newspaper The Herald that the observer recommendations were not legally binding.

His sentiments seemingly point out that it is the prerogative of the commission to decide which recommendation to adopt or reject.

“When it comes to election observers, ZEC invites local and regional observers that have interest in our elections. As for international observers, it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade that invites them.

“When observers come into the country, they are expected to observe the code of conduct of observers because our elections are observed according to the laws of the land,” Mangwana said in an interview with Herald journalist Ranga Mataire.

“The compliance or the verification of our electoral processes should be in tandem with Zimbabwe’s Electoral Act as well as other laws pertaining to such issues. So this is one key issue that all observers have to adhere to the code of conduct of observers.

“You must, however, be aware of the fact that recommendations from observers are not legally binding because we have laws made by our own legislators. We also comply with the SADC Guidelines and Principles on elections as well as continental instruments that are there on elections.

“We always want our process to be observed so that people can see the credibility and transparency of the processes,: Mangwana said.

In an interview with Nehanda Radio, main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) deputy secretary for elections Ellen Shiriyedenga dismissed Mangwana’s sentiments saying Zimbabwe is a signatory to regional and international bodies that have the mandate of observing local elections.

“Zimbabwe does not just exist in a vacuum it belongs to several regional and international bodies like AU (African Union) and SADC (Southern African Development Community) and of which these organizations have set up protocols, norms and principles on elections to which Zimbabwe is a signatory,” she said.

“Naturally, it’s expected of them to come and observe to check if Zimbabwe is abiding to those protocols. So for him to say that observers are not of any use, it’s a misguided view and it’s not in good state with the regional and international obligations of Zimbabwe in terms of its membership to those organizations.”

Shiriyedenga added that the constitution of Zimbabwe allowed local and international observers to verify elections.

“And remember, our constitution is very clear to say that election results should be verifiable and that is one of the core principles of our election.

“So really if you have an election which is not verifiable by both local and international observers, then at the end of the day it presents problems in terms of ascertaining the validity and the integrity of the electoral process,” she added.