By Agencies
ZANU PF and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators are at loggerheads over implementing foreign Elections Observer Missions’ reports that the government should carry out broad-based electoral and political reforms.
Debating the recently tabled Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) report on the 2023 disputed elections, Zanu PF Member of Parliament (MP) Tafadzwa Mugwadi said the country should not be swayed into embarking on reforms over the word of the observer mission.
He said the reports and recommendations of the observer missions had the potential to “torch fire”.
“My concern with regards to the report, like I indicated earlier, is that some of these observer missions come with predetermined and well-choreographed conclusions about a fundamental national process that involves serious emotions in the Republic if we are not careful in future in terms of the manner in which we accredit our observer missions.
“For far too long, we have had several recommendations coming from all quotas and we have tended to accept and consider them and look at them as well as to debate about them. I am of the opinion that there is a saying in English that, ‘he is a fool, he who does not take advice from anyone but he is a thousand times foolish, he who takes advice from everyone’, and the people of Zimbabwe and our leadership are not fools. We are very clear about that.
“This Parliament is not a Parliament of fools. I am sure everyone agrees with me. Therefore, when it comes to recommendations and conclusions about our elections by some of these observer missions, this Parliament as a sovereign August House, must have the power to say no, we do not like your observations. We do not feel we like and will not legislate about them. It is our sovereign right,” said Mugwadi.
Last year Foreign Election Observer missions castigated the plebiscite saying it failed to meet regional and international electoral standards.
In the reports, the observer missions implored the country to align the electoral laws with the Constitution so future plebiscites pass the credibility test.
Poking holes into the ZEC report, CCC legislator Ellen Shiriyedenga said only reforms will enable the country to hold undisputed polls.
“In terms of recommendations, I think it is prudent that ZEC adopts the recommendations from election observer missions and we start debating on those recommendations as stakeholders; looking at ZEC in terms of Section 239 and reviewing the process issues as to how it fared with respect to its mandate vis-à-vis the reality on the ground – at the end of the day, an election which is devoid of those free, fair and credible principles becomes an election which has doubts,” said Shiriyedenga.
