THE chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec),
Justice Priscilla Chigumba, has said the appointment of Mr Utoile Silaigwana as
the commission’s chief elections officer is above board and the country’s
electoral management body is committed to inclusive electoral reforms.
In a statement yesterday, Justice Chigumba said Mr
Silaigwana has 17 years in election management systems and was the most suitable
candidate following the commission’s interviews.
She said her statement was prompted by misleading articles
on various media platforms aimed at eroding public trust in the commission and
creating alarm and despondency.
Justice Chigumba said Zec has been accused of
un-procedurally appointing Mr Silaigwana to the electoral management body top
post, claims that are unfounded.
“Questions have been raised on the appointment procedures
of the Zec Chief Elections Officer (CEO). It should be noted that the
appointment was done after interviews were conducted by the full commission
which sat as an interview panel and vetted several applications before the
appointment of the current CEO was effected,” said Justice Chigumba.
“For the record, the current CEO was appointed on merit as
he is a qualified elections administrator with 17 years experience in that
field. He is a holder of a Master’s Degree in Elections Administration from an
internationally recognised university as well as being an accredited facilitator
for Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections, a modular
professional development programme on electoral processes.”
She said Zec has adopted an inclusive policy on electoral
reforms hence it’s convening of an all stakeholder conference after the 2018
harmonised elections to receive their views.
“Zec has since consolidated proposals arising from the
conference and included them in the electoral reforms package for consideration
by the Legislature. The issue of electoral reforms is therefore work in
progress by the commission. The Zec is appealing to any stakeholder with a
grievance or concern to approach it for redress through any of its structures
including multiparty liaison committees,” said Justice Chigumba.
“It should be borne in mind that electoral processes are
not a preserve of Zec alone but a responsibility of every citizen and the
nation hence Zec calls upon all stakeholders to positively play their part. The
commission urges all Zimbabweans to come together and implement reforms that
will banish the spectre of polarisation and destructive tendencies that are
retrogressive to nation building. In this regard, Zec assures all stakeholders
that it will maintain an open door policy in all its programmes, including the
impending delimitation process.”
She said individuals who want to report allegations of
electoral malpractice must approach the police and the Zimbabwe Human Rights
Commission who are empowered to investigate the cases in line with the
country’s laws.
Justice Chigumba said Zec has not received any official
complaints regarding alleged vote buying as claimed by social media proponents.
“There have been unsubstantiated allegations of vote buying
that have been doing rounds on social media platforms and have since been taken
up by some sections of the mainstream media. The commission would like to state
that it has not received a formal complaint from any stakeholder regarding this
allegation. It is also not prudent for Zec to always respond to unsubstantiated
allegations that appear on social media platforms, given current informal and
unregulated nature of this type of media in Zimbabwe,” she said. Chronicle
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