Politics of litigation must stop

The printing of ballots with names of candidates takes time.

This will prove cumbersome if more cases are entertained by the courts to solve political disputes. As it is ZEC must be allowed to deploy its personnel throughout the country’s districts without hindrance.

ZEC is baiting trouble by having its top officers appearing before the Press on a daily basis. What should happen is that there should be a communications department in ZEC with a press officer to brief journalists and answer questions rather have the top management of ZEC who have a lot of work to do behind the scenes.

Another disturbing aspect was to see our uniformed security forces lining up to vote.
In 33 years, this has been the first time we have seen this. Why did we not adopt the previous system where security forces cast their ballots in private?

This is what happens in many countries that conduct elections rather than parading them in public.
When primary elections were held by various political parties, those card carrying members went to vote whether they were employed in the army or police and did so in civilian clothes.

If anyone in uniform has to vote, the general rule is that they vote in private.
There are systems in the conduct of elections that are universal whether in developing world or in the developed world. The election commission must be respected. If the election commission is not respected, then there is no need to take part in the election by a political party that questions the Commission’s integrity.

Zimbabwe is fast becoming a nation of litigation through the courts of every dispute. Maybe the courts must refuse to be used to solve every political dispute. The voters are anxiously waiting to cast their ballots in peace.

What the politicians should do is to solve their disputes internally through their political party mechanisms rather than involve the courts.
A case in point is that of the various MDCs that claim ownership of the name and leadership of various factions.

The time has now come for the voters to decide which faction represents their members by the votes each faction is going to get in the coming elections.
It is not the court that can decide the leadership of any MDC faction but the general membership of the factions themselves.

The same goes for those that want to stand as independents or for any political party of their choice.
ZEC should let them contest through the ballot not through the courts.

We are in free country where everyone has a right to stand as a candidate for any political party or for any individual cause.
What should be avoided is the chaos in the electoral process if prospective candidates have to resort to the courts which will impinge on the time to print ballots.

It may be necessary to opt for a proportional representation voting system where there are no candidates but parties contesting.
The parties would have their own candidate lists from which they allocate their seats according to the percentage vote each party gets in a general election.

This system is being applied for 60 national assembly seats for women and for senators.
Why not go the whole way and abolish the constituency system in the next general elections?

All litigation of disgruntled aspirants would be dealt with through their political party system and leave the courts alone.
The focus now is for all political parties and candidates to ensure that ZEC is left alone to do its business without interference.

We need to create an enabling environment where a voter can go to the polls confident that they are casting their ballot for the candidate of their choice.
But, efficiency in running elections is crucial to prevent any disputes that may render the process ineffective. In many countries ballot box tampering is the main cause of disputes.

There have been disputes over vote counting where election commissions report of computer breakdowns something that voters would be sceptical about.
The process must be so transparent that any dispute will not be sustained in a court of law. What must be avoided are unnecessary election disputes over inefficiency of polling officers.

After 33 years of running elections, Zimbabwe must not be found wanting.
As for political parties and their candidates, including those standing as independents, the message to the voters must be clear that they will accept the decision of the voters.

Elections must come and go but the building of a credible democracy and the rule of law should be the cornerstone of the nation that bind us together despite our political differences.

Let us all go and cast our ballots in peace. Let the courts do their work to interpret the law where necessary but we should all abide by their decisions.
We must engage the courts as a last resort in all political disputes, but not make it a hobby to always seek political solutions through the Judiciary.