Sadc and Zimbabwe’s coalition partners have agreed to have an electoral roadmap ahead of the elections, although Zanu PF is being obstinate, claiming a blueprint already exists in the Global Political Agreement and there is no need for another.
The Sadc brokered roadmap is divided into eight parts and its objective is to “find an uninterrupted path to free and fair elections and the removal of all impediments to the same”.
The parties seem to have already agreed on some of the issues, including the lifting of sanctions, a legislative agenda and commitments and constitutional reforms.
Most of the key issues in media reforms have been agreed upon except the issue of hate speech, where the state controlled media is supposed to support government “programmes and desist from attacking ministers implementing such programmes”.
Zanu PF and the two MDC formations are in disagreement over the appointment of staff to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
Election monitors and observers were another sticking point, with the parties failing to agree on who could monitor or observe elections.
MDC-T wants election monitors from Sadc and other African countries to be in the country for a year, that is six months before the election and half a year after the polls have been held.
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MDC on the other hand called for the implementation of the Sadc troika resolutions made in Livingstone, Zambia, that three officers be appointed by the regional organ to the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (Jomic).
Zanu PF on the other hand said observation of elections should be in accordance with the agreed amendments to the Electoral Act.
Security sector reform a major bone of contention
Security sector reform is another sticking point with both formations of the MDC demanding that security forces issue a public statement, that they would uphold the constitution in the lead up to a referendum on the constitution.
But Zanu PF insists that this is not an election matter and the two parties have no right to direct the uniformed forces to make public statements.“We deny that there are serving members of the military doing political work and we invite evidence to be made available,” Zanu PF’s position on the politicisation of the military reads.
“We protest to the use of the word demilitarisation. It is a war term that is not applicable even in the circumstances as alleged.”
The parties also differ on the issue of violence, with the MDCs calling for an end to state sponsored violence, while Zanu PF claims there is nothing like that and that the parties provide evidence.
The Public Order and Security Act (Posa) was also a major bone of contention with the MDCs agreeing that the Act should be amended, but Zanu PF says it wants to know the nature of amendments before agreeing.
It also claims that all parties assented to Posa amendments in 2007 and as far as the party was concerned the law provided a “sound legal framework for regulating meetings and assemblies.”
Regulate the spooks: MDC-T
State security has remained a major bone of contention, with MDC-T saying they wanted an Act of Parliament to regulate the operations of the Central Intelligence Organisation.
The MDC led by Welshman Ncube on the other hand states that CIO reform is an election issue covered under Article XIII (I) of the GPA.
The said article states that “State organs and institutions do not belong to any party and should be impartial to their duties.”
But again Zanu PF opposed this and said the matter of the CIO was neither a GPA issue nor an election issue, but rather should be addressed by the constitution-making exercise.
