New bill draws criticism

Zimbabwean civil society groups and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have dismissed amendments to the electoral bill passed by parliament this week as too little, too late. The groups said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Bill did not represent the opening up of democratic space in the country, while opposition spokesman Paul Themba-Nyathi said the party was not satisfied with the amendments, which now await President Robert Mugabe's signature to become law. "The MDC still feels strongly that the amendments are simply not enough - we have called for a complete overhaul of the electoral act in line with SADC [Southern African Development Community] guidelines. What we have in Zimbabwe now is a piece of legislation that can only benefit [the ruling] ZANU-PF," said Nyathi. He added that the MDC had not given up on pressuring the government into further electoral amendments, and there was still time for governments to fully implement the SADC electoral guidelines. "Although we are far from satisfied, we believe other SADC countries will increase the pressure for reform on ZANU-PF. Passing the amendments is one thing, but implementing them is quite another. The MDC will meet soon to review these developments," he said. The MDC has threatened to boycott all elections, but Nyathi declined to say whether the MDC would review its decision and participate in the March 2005 parliamentary poll. Daniel Molokela, coordinator of the Johannesburg-based Zimbabwe Peace and Democracy Project, said the amendments to the electoral laws would only boost the position of ZANU-PF. "The damage has already been done - there are only three months before the elections," he said. "We have always demanded a complete overhaul of the electoral system, and that will not happen before the elections. These are cosmetic, window dressing measures designed to ensure that SADC will somehow endorse a ZANU-PF victory next year." He added that the proposed independent electoral commission would not have any effect on the overall electoral process because Mugabe would still appoint its leadership. The commission approves all civic organisations wishing to engage in voter education - a situation Molokela said would seriously weaken civil society's role in the upcoming poll. Preparations for the March election are well underway. Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa told parliament this week that the Delimitation Commission set up to demarcate parliamentary constituency boundaries had finished its work and had presented a report to Mugabe. The Electoral Supervisory Commission, which will be succeeded by the proposed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, said it had already started voter education campaigns in preparation for by-elections taking place before the March poll.