Zimbabwe in the Spotlight
David Pottie 2000 FROM EISA Zimbabwe Election Update 2000, 2, 24 June, 1-2.
The world's eyes on Zimbabwe the past six month is likely to remain focussed on the southern African country as it readies itself to hold the most closely contested parliamentary elections since independence from Britain 20 years ago.
Zimbabwe has been flooded with journalists, election experts and pre-election monitors whose numbers continue to swell by the day. Hotels report high occupancy rates during the week of the elections and the week after. At least 2000 journalists are expected to cover the election while 16 000 elections monitors from all over the world will keep a watchful eye on the conduct of the poll.
The Southern Africa Development Community Parliamentary Forum already has an advance team of 15 in the country and more are expected. Two election experts, the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and the president of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, Dr Kek Galabru are holding workshops on civic education, human rights and the electoral process together with local civic and church organizations. The Organization of African Unity, COMESA and the United States are also expected to send observers.
However, no British observer will be allowed to monitor the forthcoming parliamentary elections as declared by President Mugabe. "We will welcome any observer team, as long as they don't include a single Briton," President Mugabe has declared.
Anglo-Zimbabwe relations are at their lowest level due to land occupations by war veterans and escalating political violence. The government has gazetted laws amending the Electoral Act to include a code of conduct for election agents, polling agents, monitors and observers. The Electoral (Amendment) Regulations, 2000 (No.7) stipulate the do's and don'ts of election agents, polling agents, monitors and observers. All observers must be accredited before they can begin work or risk prosecution and a hefty fine.
The land question and mounting political violence has left 30 people dead, many injured, millions of dollars worth of property destroyed and displaced at least 6500 people. The international community reasons it has a moral obligation to ensure that Zimbabwe has a free and fair election. The EU has dispatched one of the largest observer missions to observe the June 2000 Zimbabwe elections.
The Commonwealth, which groups 54 countries (mainly former British colonies such as Zimbabwe) is expected to send at least 44 observers. An advance party of six high profile observers from the Commonwealth are already in the country and have been deployed to the country's provinces.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) issued a statement expressing concern at the escalating political violence and the invasions of more than 1200 commercial farms by war veterans. A meeting followed between Don Mckinnon, the Commonwealth Secretary General and President Mugabe at State House in Harare on 16 May 2000. Mckinnon dismissed speculation that the CMAG was under pressure from Britain to take a tough stance on Zimbabwe. He said that individual members did not influence the Commonwealth.
"Commonwealth does not adopt British policy, Barbados policy or Botswana policy, it has its own policies," he said.