ZEC read riot act to election observers - see but say nothing and touch nothing P Guramatunhu

ZEC has read the riot act to the International Election observer reminding them in no uncertain terms that they are there as OBSERVERS and not monitors.

“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Priscilla Chigumba yesterday made legal threats against all election observers saying they will have breached the nation’s laws if they monitor the upcoming polls,” reported Zimeye.

“Justice Chigumba’s statement could be read as a direct threat against the European Union observers who last week passed comments protesting against organisation’s handling of the upcoming polls.”

The section of the law ZEC is referring to is as crafty and cynical piece of legislation as one can expect from a very sinister regime, an expert at the game of smoke and mirrors. Whilst election monitors are allowed to have hands of involvement in the whole election process, ask questions and expect an official answer, cross check their information and even carry out any forensic investigations of their own; observers are not allowed to do any such things.  

Observers are there to see what ZEC officials allow them to see; which in practice means spending most of the time observing the routine and common as muck stuff. The odd occasion they are allowed to observe the real important matters, it will all be very carefully selected and sanitized. Even then, the observers are not allowed to ask ZEC officials or anyone else to comment or confirm on what they have just seen.

In short the Observer Code of Conduct states; observers, observe they do not comment or ask any questions much less expect any answer!

The regime is fearful aware that in a complex operation such as this, rigging national election is a very complex operation indeed involving hundreds of ZEC official alone; controlling information is the key to keeping the vote rigging a secret. So ZEC officials are told the barest minimum of information and on strictly the need to know basis. They are there to do as they are told not allowed to ask any questions.

If there was nothing to hide and the whole electoral process was open and transparent, as is expected in a free, fair and credible election process, ZEC officials will not be so jumpy, walking around like someone scarred of their own shadow. The officials have seen many fishy things going on to know the elections are being rigged; they are paid to turn a blind eye to the blatant vote rigging and to keep their mouths shut.

Just as well the international visitors are only OBSERVERS and not monitors, it would have been impossible to answer any question without revealing they are being evasive or worse. Justice Chigumba has stepped in to remind the observers are breaking the law carefully crafted to protect the sweaty ZEC officials who know they are aiding and abetting Zanu PF in the blatant vote rigging for thirty pieces of silver.

The officials know Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because of the sell-out like them; their conscience is gnawing them from inside out like a nest of rats in a pumpkin. The last thing the regime wants is these international observers rubbing it in by reminding the officials they are sell-outs.

President Mnangagwa would like the international observers to judge these elections free, fair and credible. To ease their own conscience, the observers may qualify their judgement with such comments as “based on the little we were allowed to see”. The regime will throw away all the caveats and not only pretend this was the conclusion of the observers who were allowed to see everything but better still of election monitors with unfettered access to every aspect of the electoral process!

President Mnangagwa will claim the junta is legitimate, it has the mandate of the people of Zimbabwe. “The voice of the people is the voice of God!” he will proclaim! Even though we know ZEC has failed to produce something as basic as a clean and verified voters’ roll. No one knows who is in the voters’ roll, who voted and how many times.

These elections should not have taken place without first implementing the democratic reforms designed to ensure the independence of all state institutions like ZEC, Police, Army, Public Media, etc. from the corrupting influence of omnipresent Zanu PF dictatorship. An unreformed ZEC is in all but name a department of Zanu PF whose primary task, above all else, is to deliver a Zanu PF landslide victory at all cost. Having a clean and verified voters’ roll, a free public media, etc. are all necessary for free, fair and credible elections but these are luxuries the regime could ill afford.

After the November coup President Mnangagwa knew his junta regime was illegitimate and in his desperate bid to regain some modicum of legitimacy he promised to hold free, fair and credible elections. Instead of inviting the usual suspects, Chinese, Russian, SADC, AU, etc. Mugabe could count on to give a thumbs-up to dodgy elections; Mnangagwa extended the list to include Western nation, Mugabe had pointedly excluded. He allowed the westerners to come in as observers and not monitors just to make sure they only see what regime allows them to see. Has it worked?

Just being asked to sign what is tantamount to a gagging order must have put those international elections observers not used to this nonsense on the edge. The foreigners must find it strange and annoying having to work with ZEC officials are so nervous, tormented by their guilt of selling-out as the regime’s vote rigging partners, they hardly say a word all day.

Even with ZEC officials whose lips are super-glued shut, etc. the international observers will still get enough evidence to conclude these elections are not free, fair and credible.

President Mnangagwa is desperate to regain international recognition and legitimacy however he is also desperate to hang on to the absolute power of the Zanu PF dictatorship. By rigging these elections he has secured another Zanu PF landslide victory but at a cost, the international election observers are not going to endorse these rigged elections! There is no way anyone from a half-decent democratic nation can ever pretend elections with no free public media, no clean and verifies voters’ roll, zombie officials scarred stiff to say a word, etc., etc. are free and fair. No way!