Elections doubtful

delay the holding of elections this year.
Zanu-PF and the MDC formations’ negotiators met recently and endorsed an election roadmap identifying areas that needed to be addressed before Zimbabweans vote.
The parties are in total agreement that they need to address the issue of the illegal economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Britain and her allies.
They have also agreed that the new constitution must be completed first before the polls.
On media reforms, the negotiators agreed that there should be the appointment of new boards for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and trustees for the Mass Media Trust.
The parties also agreed on the establishment of a Media Council of Zimbabwe, licensing of new broadcasters while calling on governments hosting and funding external pirate radio stations to halt the broadcasts.
They are in agreement that Zimbabweans running and working for external radio stations outside Zimbabwe should return home.
State media, the parties agreed, should support all agreed SGovernment programmes and stop attacking ministers implementing the programmes.
While the negotiators have agreed, in principle over some of the activities, the parties have, however, agreed to work on a few areas of disagreement.
In an exclusive interview yesterday, Zanu-PF negotiator, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, confirmed the endorsement of the election roadmap and a possibility of delay in conducting the polls.
“The election roadmap identifies activities to be undertaken before elections taking into account activities, some of which to be taken sequentially and others concurrently.
“It is my own opinion that it is not possible to hold elections this year. We need to start talking about elections next year or 2013 assuming that the referendum is completed in September as we have been advised by Copac,” he said.
Cde Chinamasa said the GPA was crafted to set out targets to level the political field and address issues for free and fair elections.
“We have come up with an election roadmap to identify sign posts to be traversed ahead of elections in Zimbabwe,” he said.
However, observers yesterday hailed the development saying this showed that Zimbabwe could solve its problems without outside interference.
“Zimbabwe’s threat is not about the perceived isolation from Sadc. It is its ability to solve problems on its own and with the facilitation of Sadc.
“The agreed activities leading to the elections means that parties to the GPA have found a solution to the perceived problems.”

A political commentator said this was different to what the Sadc Troika meeting in Livingstone, Zambia almost did to the GPA partners.
“The Livingstone Troika almost divided the partners but the agreements are a clear testimony of management and resolutions to a local conflict.”
A Government official said the amicable resolution of the election roadmap and endorsement of the first review of the progress and implementation of the GPA was also commendable.
“This shows that Zimbabwe has the capacity to resolve issues locally. It also shows that Zimbabwe requires facilitation not dictation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the parties agreed that the issue of sanctions needs to be solved ahead of any elections.
This would be addressed through lobbying for the sanctions’ removal, reactivating the re-engagement committee, while Sadc implemented the resolutions made on the embargo.
Cde Chinamasa said the sanctions were imposed to tilt the political field in favour of the MDC formations.
“Zanu-PF would hold the sanctions against the formations if ever we go for elections,” he said.
The parties are agreed, in principle on the enactment of agreed electoral amendments, voter education, mobilisation of voter registration, preparation of new voters’ roll and its inspection.
There are, however, some issues in the election roadmap that the parties need to discuss further.
The MDC formations want a fresh recruitment at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission but Zanu-PF insists that there should be no changes as this was ZEC’s prerogative.
“We have agreed to a package of amendments to the Electoral Act and the Bill was approved by the Cabinet committee.
“The MDC -T is reneging on the package to stall the elections.
“We also believe that the fresh recruitment being advocated at ZEC is an attack on an institution so that Zimbabwe descends into anarchy and becomes ungovernable and it is not justified,” Cde Chinamasa said.
The MDC formations want the security forces to issue a public statement upholding the Constitution and respect the rule of law ahead of any election or referendum.
Zanu-PF, however, argues that this was not an election matter and parties have no right to direct uniformed forces to issue such statements.
“The uniformed forces took an oath of office, loyalty and secrecy to uphold the Constitution and we have no power to direct their operations as political parties,” he said.
Cde Chinamasa said Zanu-PF denied any knowledge of politically motivated violence and demanded evidence on such allegations.
“We also deny the deployment of uniformed and we are also inviting evidence on these allegations.
“What we know is that some ex-combatants who retired from the force are active in party structures as cadres.
“Some of them are also active as members of the war veterans association,” Cde Chinamsa said.
He said the issue of intelligence operatives was not an election or GPA matter, but an attack on the Central Intelligence Organisation.
Zanu-PF said the issue should be addressed through the constitution-making process.
The MDC-T was calling for an Act of Parliament regulating the operations of the CIO while the MDC said the issue was covered in the GPA.
The MDCs also called for the amendment of the Public Order and Security Act to tighten it against alleged abuse and discretion while bringing it in line with the GPA and constitution citing abuse by the police.
Zanu-PF, however, demanded to know the proposed amendments but argued that POSA was amended in 2007 by all parties.
Cde Chinamasa said: “The current POSA is modelled on the South African security model as was done in 2007,” he said.
On actual elections, the parties agreed on the need for delimitation of constituencies, Presidential proclamation in consultation with the Prime Minister, nomination of candidates, ballot papers, polling, announcement of election results and activation of liaison committees at local level.
The parties, however, disagree on the presence of monitors six months prior and after the election.
They also disagree on a resolution made in Livingstone for three Sadc-appointed officers to be deployed and work with Jomic.
Zanu-PF says election observation and monitoring must be guarded through agreed amendments to the Electoral Act.
Cde Chinamsa said a new constitution would need to be aligned to the different pieces of legislation.
“The Constitution provides that amendments must be gazzetted 30 days before they are introduced in Parliament.”
He said the mobilisation of voter registration; inspection of the voters’ roll and delimitation taking into account people’s movements takes at least three months each.
There is also need, according to Cde Chinamasa, for the Presidential proclamation of the election.
Cde Chinamasa said Zimbabwe was very unique as it had succeeded in resolving its problems through the negotiating process under Sadc facilitation.
“We are confident that if left alone, we will overcome the challenges we face.
“We should resist attempts to impose solutions on Zimbabwe that would not work as they do not relate to the reality of the situation.”
He said Sadc should not be influenced by the “exaggerated, alarmist and, at times, fabricated picture” of violence in Zimbabwe.
“I am aware that the Prime Minister was on a tour meeting Sadc heads of state briefing them about the situation here.
“He has not availed the briefing to other parties but information we have is that he took advantage to mislead the leaders who granted him audience,” he said.
The Sadc Heads of State and Government are meeting in Windhoek, Namibia on May 20 to discuss the situation in Madagascar.
Sadc-appointed facilitator and South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma is also expected to give a progress report on Zimbabwe.
Cde Chinamasa said the parties were hoping that they would see a copy of the report before the summit.
“We were not given the report in Livingstone and it is our hope that we would be accorded the honour to see the report before the summit.
“We are also hopeful that the report would be a reflection of the report given to the facilitator by the partners,” he said.
The election roadmap was endorsed by Cdes Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche for Zanu-PF, MDC-T’s Mr Tendai Biti and Mr Elton Mangoma.
Mrs Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Mr Edwin Mushoriwa represent the MDC in the negotiations.