IRIN Focus on mixed reviews by international observers

The head of the Commonwealth observer group in Zimbabwe, General Abdulsalami Abubakar said on Wednesday there had been shortcomings in the preparations and arrangements of Zimbabwe’s fifth parliamentary election at the weekend. His remarks came as the country waited to see whether President Robert Mugabe would form a government of national unity following the outcome of a poll which ushered in a powerful new opposition. But diplomats noted that three days after the election, government officials, including Mugabe himself, and opposition party leaders were calling for reconciliation following a violent campaign in which 32 people, mostly opposition supporters, were killed and 6,500 forced to flee their homes. Commonwealth concerns The former Nigerian leader who led a team of 44 observers making up the second largest international monitoring group, said in a preliminary statement: “We would draw attention, in particular, to the inability of a substantial number of electors to cast their ballots, inconsistencies in polling day procedures, last minute changes to the electoral laws, and the late accreditation of the domestic election observers.” In a report largely similar to that released earlier in the week by the European Union, he noted “with concern” the failure of the media, especially the state broadcasting services, to provide balanced pre-election coverage. Like the EU, he said he felt the presence of the observers had helped reduce tensions in the final run-up to the poll. A climate of fear “Our major concern during the time we have been in Zimbabwe has been the nature, duration and scale of politically-motivated violence and intimidation,” he said. “This violence and intimidation was most serious in some rural areas, where we have observed a climate of fear and uncertainty amongst the people. In some districts intimidation prevented open campaigning, notably by opposition parties and candidates.” Although this picture was not uniform, “we can only conclude that incidents of violence and threats have impaired the freedom of choice of the electorate. We naturally deplore all such intimidation and violence and we look to those in authority in Zimbabwe to ensure that the rule of law is observed.” Abubakar said that the Commonwealth group had been “greatly encouraged” by the high turnout of voters on the two polling days, and that the conduct of the voting itself was to be commended. He also said they had found the counting process to be “commendably transparent”. In an earlier interview with IRIN, Abubakar said he hoped the government would “respect” the will of the electorate once the election was over. The labour union-based Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) captured 57 seats against 62 for President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party and 1 clinched by an independent, in the 120 seats contested. President Mugabe has the constitutional right to name the remaining 30 MPs in the 150-seat legislature and analysts in Zimbabwe said the country was now waiting to see whether he would include some opposition members among them in a gesture of national unity. In the last parliament, the ruling party held all but three seats. Mugabe criticises the observers In an address to the nation on Tuesday night, Mugabe gave no indication as to whether he would lean in that direction. But he urged Zimbabweans to accept the outcome, which ushered in a sizeable and credible opposition for the first time in the 20 years Mugabe and his ruling party have held power since independence from Britain in 1980. However, he was critical of statements on the election by some of the larger teams of international observers: “Among our guests were some, who much in the mode of the Victorian ‘civilising mission’, thought they had come to pacify, give virtue and thus redeem the ‘natives’.” Mugabe, who has not said whether he will stand again in the next presidential election scheduled in the year 2002, said the parliamentary elections had put the country on firmer ground to strengthen its democracy. “We are still able to ensure that victory and defeat are quick to reconcile, quick to connect and cohabit in the same national space for greater peace and togetherness.” Other “guests”, he noted, had been impressed by the conduct of the elections. The SADC and OAU view Other election observers, including delegations from the Southern African Development Community and the Organisation of African Unity also praised the conduct of the voting. The OAU said in a brief statement that the pre-election intimidation and violence had not been sufficient to have a negative impact on the turnout. The 30 OAU observers had, however, noted in its interim report that many people had not been able to cast their votes because of registration problems. But the leader of the OAU delegation, former Liberian president Amos Sawyer said: “Zimbabwe’s political leaders must begin without delay to engage themselves across party lines in a process of dialogue and consulatation and in so doing demonstrate the neccesary courage and magnaminity so that it can be seen that the election was not another element to deepen division and fuel conflict, but rather an opportunity for productive re-engagement and democratic governance.” Tony Yengeni, head of a South African observer team which has been in the country for a month, said his team was confident that “the will of Zimbabweans” had been strongly expressed. “We thought the EU was supposed to be humble and allow Africans to express themselves,” he said. “They jumped the gun.” EU defends its position Pierre Schori, head of the EU mission, reiterating his view that he felt the election had not been free and fair despite the high turnout, said he nevertheless hoped Mugabe would seize “this historic opportunity” to unite the country. He told reporters: “The EU wants to see what happens in a Zimbabwe we want to work with.” In Washington, a state department spokesman welcomed the high turnout and the fact that the voting itself had passed off peacefully. He said American monitors who observed the election, had also cited concern about the violence in the run-up to the vote.