HARARE, Zimbabwe
The European Union says it is
withdrawing $5 million in financial support to the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission because of what it calls a lack of independence and transparency in
the country's disputed August polls.European Union election observer mission talks to reporters in Harare, Zimbabwe.
In a statement late Tuesday,
the EU embassy in Harare said Brussels is pulling out its $5 million financial
support to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission because of the way the commission
ran the country's August general election.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa
defeated Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change in the hotly
contested Aug. 23 election.
“We did not set institutions
that underpin our democracy in chapter 12 of our constitution so that they can
be funded by foreigners," said Nick Mangwana, the government spokesman.
"As government, we always provide for ZEC’s needs through the fiscus. So
as far as we are concerned, this is a non-event. We did not apply for this
funding. And it's withdrawal, does not mean anything. ZEC will fulfill its
mandate through the funding that it gets from the people of Zimbabwe.”
Promise Mkwananzi is the
spokesman for the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change, which disputes the
president’s victory.
“ZEC is improperly composed,
it is not independent, it is not professional. We saw it in the previous
elections, we've seen it even more glaringly in this election," said
Mkwananzi. "So we were quite surprised that the EU entrusted the taxpayer's
money of Europeans to such a group. The way forward really, like we've already
articulated, is the disbandment of ZEC, totally, and the firing of all the
individuals we involved both at commission and secretary level, and
re-commissioning and re-composing ZEC based on individuals of integrity, of
honor and independence, who then reconstitute ZEC in accordance with the
constitution and the laws of our country in preparation for a fresh free and
free election.”
The EU’s observer mission to
Zimbabwe’s elections was among other missions which condemned the way Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission ran the August polls.
The Southern Africa
Development Community mission said the elections fell far short of the regional
body’s electoral guidelines and infringed on the country’s constitution and
electoral laws.
Linda Masarira, is the founder
of the opposition Labor, Economists and African Democrats party. She says
African countries need to run elections without EU help.
“They've always wanted to
meddle with how we do elections in this country," said Masarira. "And
it should be a wake-up call to the government of this country to start funding
its own elections, its own processes, its own government programs. We cannot
continue running with begging bowls to the West and the East.”
Gibson Nyikadzino,
Harare-based independent political analyst, agrees with Masarira.
“It only shows us that the
European Union or the Western order has a way it wants to construct some truths
in the knowledge regarding the issues to do with elections, the issues to do
with democratic processes in the nations of the South," said Nyikadzino.
"And this explains why they are failing to come to terms with the reality
that the Zanu-PF was officially declared the winner.”
But Brighton Mutebuka, a
lawyer and political commentator, says the EU was justified in withdrawing the
money.
“It is not just the EU who
here on the ground versus with their electoral observer mission," said
Mutebuka. "But we have the regional bodies SADC and the AU as well. And
they concluded that the election that ZEC delivered fell far short of those
standards and quite brazenly saw in many respects in what we saw. So the ball
is in ZEC’s court.”
On Wednesday, Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission refused to comment on the EU’s announcement.
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