Conference aims to promote electoral reforms

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), in conjunction with the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA), will hold a regional conference on electoral reforms in the resort town of Victoria Falls next week. Rindai Chipfunde-Vava, the ZESN national director, told IRIN the conference on 2 to 3 August would run under the theme 'Regional Initiatives for Electoral Reform in SADC: Strengthening Democratic Transformation Through Identified Benchmarks in the Region'. "The aim of the conference is to create a platform on which delegates will share experiences in electoral reform initiatives in the region. Delegates to the conference have been drawn from regional parliaments and civic organisations, and they will discuss what electoral stakeholders in the region have agreed are best practices for electoral management, monitoring and observation," Chipfunde-Vava said. "We hope to create consensus on the best practices in election administration and management, particularly at this critical time in the region's history," she added. Several countries are facing elections within the next 12 months, with Zimbabwe holding a highly charged parliamentary poll in March 2005. Zimbabwe's presidential ballot in 2003 was condemned as flawed by some international observers, and as a result the country was suspended from the Commonwealth. The Zimbabwean government has indicated that it will implement electoral reforms before next year's poll. The proposed reforms include reducing the voting period to one day, using transparent ballot boxes and the appointment by President Mugabe of an Independent Electoral Commission. However, opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said he has little faith in the new proposals. "People are still demanding more measures towards a democratic order. To be effective, electoral reforms need a solid backing of independent institutions dealing with electoral disputes, handling political excesses and taking care of the whole electoral process. There is a deep lack of trust and fear of electoral fraud - factors that could lead many to conclude that their vote and their voices are worthless and, therefore, inconsequential," Tsvangirai said.