Govt Says EU Election Observer Mission Strayed From Its Mandate

1 year agoSun, 19 Nov 2023 14:33:52 GMT

Govt Says EU Election Observer Mission Strayed From Its Mandate

The Government of Zimbabwe, through the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi, has accused the European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) of going beyond its mandate.

Responding to the EU EOM final report on the 23-24 August harmonised elections at a press conference in Harare on Saturday, Ziyambi said the EU election observers strayed from their mandate by dictating to Zimbabwe how the country’s institutions and legislative framework should be structured.

Ziyambi criticised the EU EOM final report that was presented the by mission’s head, Fabio Massimo Castaldo online from Brussels, Belgium, saying it was biased towards the opposition. Said Ziyambi:

Observers come to observe. So, when observers meet a group of people who didn’t follow the due process of satisfying the requirements of the law in terms of their gatherings, they simply observe and take note of what that particular individual has said.

Likewise, if they meet a group of people that are complaining that the other side is doing this, whether that complaint borders on an illegality on the act of the other party, they will simply note it. That is what observation is all about.

He said election observers should not be confused with election monitors. Said Ziyambi:

So, as Government, we are actually surprised that observers think that they are actually monitors, or they are here to change our laws.

Presenting the mission’s final report on the elections on Friday, Castaldo said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) and the judiciary’s perceived political bias, as well as the actions of the Forever Associates of Zimbabwe (FAZ), undermined the credibility of the polls.

The EU EOM report also criticised recent laws that it said eroded the separation of powers and limited civic and political freedoms.

The laws noted in the report include the so-called Patriotic Act, the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) bill and the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MPOA) which the EU EOM said closed space for the exercise of freedoms of association, assembly, and expression.

The EU EOM provided 21 recommendations, listing seven as priority which the mission said may bring comprehensive and meaningful electoral reforms.

The recommendations include; enhancing election organisation and management in Zimbabwe, maintaining ZEC and its staff independence, providing timely and thorough information to the public, and protecting the freedom to assemble.

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