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Herald Reporter
THE African Union’s appointment of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson, Justice Rita Makarau to lead the election observer mission in Rwanda, is a show of confidence in Harare’s electoral process.
Justice Makarau’s appointment to head AU observer mission in the September 16, 2013 parliamentary election, flew in the face of the MDC-T and their benefactors, the European Union and the United States who have sought to discredit Zimbabwe’s electoral system in the wake of resounding election victory by Zanu-PF in the July 31 harmonised elections.
The AU election observer mission, comprised 30 experienced observers drawn from the Pan-African Parliament, African Ambassadors/Permanent Representatives to the African Union in Addis Ababa, African Election Management Bodies, and Civil Society Organizations in Africa
The observers arrived in Rwanda on 9 September 2013 and most of them would remain until 21 September 2013.The Mission is assisted by a group of experts from the African Union Commission, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA).
In a brief interview soon after she touched down at Harare International Airport from Kigali, Justice Makarau said she was humbled by the confidence shown by AU on her.
“It is a proud moment for me and Zimbabwe to lead a team of observers from the African Union. I really feel quite honoured to represent my country,” she said.
Asked if there were any lessons she learnt from Rwanda’s electoral system, she said one major thing she learnt was the obligation imposed by the law on polling officers before an election.
“Polling officer take oath of loyalty to the country before an election. They swear that they will treat every candidate equally. I thought it was good practice,” she said.
Online Reporter