The President has continued to reiterate the importance of
transparency, before, during and after the polls.
He has made it clear that Zimbabwe has nothing to hide and
has put in place measures for violence-free, transparent and credible
elections.
Consequently, Government has extended an invitation to
regional, continental and international bodies to come and observe the general
elections slated for August 23.
Other bodies that have bee invited include the African
Union (AU), Sadc, COMESA and the Commonwealth.
Writing on his official Twitter handle yesterday, the EU’s
Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Jobst Von Kirchmann, said the European bloc “warmly
welcomes” the country’s invitation.
He said the invitation was testament that Harare and
Belgium continue to strengthen their cooperation on all fronts.
“The #EU warmly welcomes the invitation from the Government
of #Zimbabwe to observe the harmonised elections of 2023 in Zimbabwe.
“This invitation clearly demonstrates the trust,
cooperation, and partnership between #Zimbabwe and the #EU,” wrote Ambassador
Von Kirchmann.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) vice chairperson,
Ambassador Rodney Kiwa, yesterday told The Herald that the invitation was proof
that the country was committed to holding free, fair and credible elections.
He said the invitation also speaks volumes about Zimbabwe’s
preparedness as well as its transparency.
“I am aware that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade has extended this invitation (to observe our election) to a
number of regional, continental and international organisations and individual
countries, including the EU, all in the spirit of affirming our commitment to
run a transparent, free and fair election as well as expressing the confidence
we have in our preparedness to conduct such an election.”
Amb Kiwa said the electoral body would issue periodic
updates while revealing that more than 50 locally based individuals and
institutions had expressed interest in observing the polls.
“Invited are SADC, COMESA, the AU, the Commonwealth, to
name but some. Please note that the UN does not observe elections. I do not
have the numbers of those who have expressed interest yet but as of now locals
(individuals and institutions) exceed 50. Will update you as we go,” he said.
The deadline for observer applications to ZEC is August 18,
four days before election day.
Local observers will be charged a fee of US$10, observers
from the rest of Africa US$100, those from foreign embassies in Zimbabwe
US$300, and observers from any country outside Africa US$400.
For the media, local journalists pay US$10, Zimbabwean
journalists accredited with the Zimbabwe Media Commission and working in
Zimbabwe for foreign media houses will pay US$100, and media practitioners from
Africa will be charged US$100.
All applications will be considered and are subject to
scrutiny by the Commission’s Observer Accreditation Committee, which will pass
on its recommendations to ZEC. Herald
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