Critical democracy test

Zimbabweans face two critical polls in the next few months: One a referendum on a new constitution, the other parliamentary elections, with both processes dogged by controversy. “This is in fact the greatest test the country has faced. Something must come out of all this suffering, all this agitation, and how we handle this matter will determine our future for a long time to come,” lawyer and government critic Welshman Ncube told IRIN. The government last year launched a constitutional reform process culminating in a draft constitution. That document, attacked by opponents for its failure to accurately represent popular sentiment, is to be put to referendum either this month or early in February, with parliamentary elections due in March or by the first week of April. Zimrights director Bidi Munyaradzi complained that people - particularly rural Zimbabweans - are being asked to participate in a referendum for the first time, but without adequate explanation of the constitutional debate. “People are being rushed into a process in which they are not aware of the consequences and cannot participate on an informed basis,” he told IRIN. There has been no announcement on the wording of the referendum question, or definitive statement on whether Zimbabweans are to be asked to accept or reject the draft constitution in its entirety. It is also unclear until after the referendum under which constitution the parliamentary elections are to be held, which has significant technical and administrative implications, Ncube said. For example, under the old constitution Zimbabwe is divided into 120 constituencies, but the draft document recommends 150. “We would need a transitional body to draw the boundaries of the constituencies, but can only start drawing the map after the referendum. Even if we had people working 24 hours a day it cannot be achieved.” Although the voters roll is not critical to the referendum, in which people with valid identity cards would be able to participate, the accuracy of the list is vital for the parliamentary poll. According to a UN Electoral Assistance Mission to Zimbabwe which ended last month, the voters roll is “flawed”, with 10-25 percent of the names on the list deceased and an estimated 2 million out of 5.6 registered voters having moved constituencies since the last election in 1995 without proper registration. In a written response to IRIN on voter registration, Registrar-General Tobias Mudede said: “Although the voters roll updating exercise is continuously done, we have always before any general election intensified same, mostly through the inspection of the voters roll.” But, according to Munyaradzi, “we cannot accept that. The voters roll is a shambles. During every election the electorate has always questioned the status of the voters roll, and opposition parties have not been included in the inspection of the roll. The UN has validated our concerns.”