Post date: Jun 12, 2013 3:35:9 PM
Zimbabwe began registering new voters this week in a push to meet aConstitutional Court order to hold elections by July 31, even though one of the two main parties wants a delay to allow for reform of the media and security forces. Analysts say the time left is enough to prepare for an election.
HARARE, ZIMBABWE (JUNE 10, 2013) (REUTERS) - In the impoverished Harare township of Mbare, queues form outside aZimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) centre where officials are issuing identity cards and registering new voters.
In the absence of electronic registration kit, election officials checked identity documents and proof of residence before entering names of new voters on loose sheets of paper.Zimbabwe is registering new voters in a push to meet a Constitutional Court order to hold elections by July 31, even though the opposition, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) wants a delay to allow for reform of the media and security forces.
Zimbabwe's constitutional court told President Robert Mugabe on May 31 to hold elections before the end of July, in a ruling on an application by a Zimbabwean citizen demanding that an election date be set before the current parliament expires next month.
Reuters journalists were allowed to film and take pictures but could not interview new voters or electoral officials because they did not have ZEC clearance letters.
Constitutional law professor, Lovemore Madhuku says it is up to the government to ensure that the country is ready to hold polls within the constitutional deadline.
"I think the people are ready for elections, the politicians may not be ready for elections, but the people, what else do they want, is just to go out there and vote, in the meantime go out to convince your colleague to vote either at the side that they want, so for people, I think they are ready, it's a matter of waiting for the day, which is still far away if you are talking of 31 July, over one and a half months from now, about 50 something days, I mean how long do you need to wait for an election?" said Madhuku.
Mugabe, 86, Africa's oldest head of state, has clung to power since independence from Britain in 1980 and will face his long-time rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
To help ensure a fair vote, the MDC wants first to open up broadcast media to all parties and to agree a code to stop army and police meddling in politics.
But the court ruling leaves little time for such reforms and the state media, still firmly in the camp of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, have stepped up attacks on Tsvangirai and the MDC in the last month.
Senior police and army officers have openly campaigned for Mugabe, labelling Tsvangirai a Western puppet.
The MDC says ZANU-PF has used the voter register to rig previous elections by preventing Mugabe's opponents from getting on the list and refusing to remove dead people.
ZEC chairwoman Rita Makarau says she needs at least 44 days to organise a poll, which means Mugabe must declare the election date by June 17 at the latest.
Mugabe says he is ready for elections but ZANU-PF has yet to select candidates, a process that has sometimes been divisive.
Mugabe is expected to chair his party's politburo this week to "finalise" rules for his party's internal election.
The MDC started choosing its candidates two weeks ago.
"So we must be guided by law, rather than the wishes of our political leaders, every society moves that way, and it will be encouraging for Zimbabwe to really stick to the law for the time being interpreted by those with the responsibility to interpret the law," said Madhuku.
Funding for the presidential and parliamentary polls remains unclear after the postponement of a weekend summit of the regional 15-member Southern African Development Community to help raise the 132 million US dollars needed.
Authorities gave no reason for the postponement.