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The European Union continues to live in dreamland as evidenced by its desperation to change the outcome of the July harmonised elections. The European bloc is so desperate to the extent of wanting to interfere with the country’s judiciary system. According to our sister paper the Sunday News, the EU even had the temerity to write to the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court requesting to hold a meeting with judges from the Electoral and Constitutional courts.
The Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku rightly turned down the stupid request which in our view had ulterior motives. In his letter to the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, the European Union Head of Delegation to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Aldo Dell’Ariccia said he wanted the registrar to facilitate a meeting between the EU and members of the Constitutional and Electoral courts in order to exchange views on electoral petitions.
He said that Mr Giles Entikap, charge d’affaires, Ms Vazques-Horyaans, head of section, Ms Isabelle Ribot, attaché and Ms Gaelle Deriaz, consultant were to attend the proposed meeting. Mr Entikap last Wednesday led the same delegation to a meeting with outgoing Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, where he reportedly misrepresented facts saying the delegation was comprised of experts on electoral issues.
Cde Chinamasa said Mr Entikap and his delegation presented themselves as experts on electoral issues who had been mandated by the EU to make assessment of Zimbabwe’s electoral system. He said they told him that they made such assessments the world over. Cde Chinamasa said he only got to know the delegation’s motive when it, through Mr Entikap, asked him to clear their intended meeting with the judges of the Electoral Court and judges of the Constitutional Court. “I must say, I blew my top. It’s unheard of that you have people coming to meet with your judiciary over matters which are before them or even on any other matter. I was very angry that they had the temerity to ask for a meeting with judges before whom are election petitions,” said Cde Chinamasa.
The MDC-T has filed 39 petitions challenging the outcome of the elections and the cases are yet to be heard. It is therefore disturbing that a big institution like the EU wants to influence the outcome of such petitions. The same EU which sings about the independence of the judiciary is not ashamed to openly attempt to influence the outcome of cases before the courts. The EU, as already stated, is dreaming of reversing the outcome of the harmonised elections.
What the EU should accept is that the outcome of the elections which were won resoundingly by Zanu-PF reflects the will of the people of Zimbabwe. The elections have since been endorsed by the African Union, Sadc, Comesa, the African Caribbean and Pacific countries as well as more than 40 countries worldwide as a credible expression of the will of Zimbabweans. The EU should just swallow its pride and accept that the MDC-T which it was backing lost the elections and should in fact be working out strategies to assist its preferred party win the 2018 elections.
What is comforting is that some EU members such as Belgium seem to have seen the light and are calling for the immediate lifting of the sanctions on diamond mining companies. The EU is on record saying it will be guided by Sadc regarding the outcome of the elections and now that Sadc has endorsed the elections as free, peaceful, generally credible and a reflection of the will of Zimbabweans, there is therefore no excuse to maintain the illegal sanctions.
We want to once again warn the EU against meddling in Zimbabwe’s affairs. Zimbabwe, it should be appreciated, is a sovereign State and as such should be allowed to run its affairs without external interference especially from the EU that continues to cause untold suffering to the majority of the people as a result of its illegal sanctions.
Online Reporter