SADC adopts election guidelines, says farewell to two leaders

Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders wrapped up their summit on Tuesday by adopting key guidelines on holding free and fair elections, bidding farewell to two long-serving heads of state, and admitting Madagascar as a "candidate member". SADC leaders meeting in Grande Baie, Mauritius, had been under pressure to show they were committed to democracy and good governance. With human rights groups and NGOs decrying alleged abuses and election irregularities in Zimbabwe, and lack of political reform in Swaziland, the adoption of new principles and guidelines for holding elections was hailed as a milestone by the heads of state. The guidelines stipulate that SADC members will uphold full participation of citizens in the political process, freedom of association, political tolerance, equal access to state media for all political parties, equal opportunity to vote and be voted for, and voter education. These were key issues raised by civil society groups in Zimbabwe, where NGOs believe a new bill governing their activities will further "close democratic space" by constraining their voter education and election monitoring programmes. As to whether the principles are enforceable, the new SADC chair, Mauritian Prime Minister Paul Berenger, said a "credible SADC observer team" would be sent to monitor every election in member states. He sidestepped a direct question on Zimbabwe, where the management and results of recent elections have been contested, saying that the new guidelines targeted no particular country. "No-one disputed how we described free and fair elections [during the closed sessions when heads of state deliberated on the guidelines]. We are not pointing at any one country. We leave the past in the past and we are now committed to free and fair elections - all of us. [So] I am not going to mention any specific country," Berenger told a press conference at the end of the two-day summit. According to the poll guidelines, SADC states holding elections are bound to "establish impartial, all-inclusive, competent and accountable national electoral bodies staffed by qualified personnel; as well as competent legal entities, including effective constitutional courts to arbitrate in the event of disputes; safeguard the human and civil liberties of all citizens, including freedom of movement, assembly, association, expression, and campaigning during electoral processes." The final communiqué of the summit noted that the next parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe were scheduled for March 2005. The summit "was informed that the government of Zimbabwe has drafted electoral legislation consistent with the newly adopted SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections", it read. With regard to Swaziland, where activists have demanded a genuine people-driven constitution, and a rule-of-law crisis has dogged the government, the statement said the constitution- drafting process "will be completed by the end of November". "The summit further noted that currently the draft constitution has been referred to the citizens of the country to make their observations and comments before the final text is adopted; furthermore, the issue relating to the rule of law is receiving the kingdom's necessary and expedient attention and it is hoped that the Court of Appeal [which dissolved following the government's refusal to comply with a court order] will be constituted shortly," the statement said. Two current heads of state, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and Sam Nujoma of Namibia, delivered their farewell addresses to delegates at the closing of the summit. Both leaders will retire this year as their countries head towards general elections in the last quarter of 2004. Chissano said he had chosen not to run for another term, although he was constitutionally allowed to do so.