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| Title |
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15 Demands for the 2005 election |
| Author |
Movement for Democratic Change |
| Published |
Harare: MDC |
| Year |
2004-03-24 |
| Abstract |
I have heard so many people ask "Why are you boycotting the election?" that I believe clarification is necessary.
15 DEMANDS for 2005 election
MDC is NOT boycotting the 2005 election, or any other election. We resolved as a party to prepare thoroughly to participate in the election. However, we insist that the election MUST BE FREE AND FAIR this time, and we will NOT ALLOW Mudede and ZanuPF to steal the election, as they did in 2000 and 2002.
To this end, we have 15 demands which must be met in order for the election playing field to be even, and to meet the SADC Norms and Standards for elections, as follows:
15 DEMANDS for 2005 election
- The establishment of a genuinely independent electoral commission that will be responsible for running the entire election and the entire electoral process.
- The exclusion of partisan officials such as the present Registrar General of Elections and members of the military from being involved in the running of the elections.
- A completely fresh voter registration exercise done by the Independent Electoral Commission with the assistance of the United Nations.
- The supply of an electronic (computer data base) copy of the voters' roll to all political parties and interested persons.
- The repeal of those aspects of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) that curtail media freedoms.
- The repeal of those aspects of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) that curtail the freedom of political parties to campaign.
- The amendment of the Electoral Act to bring it into conformity with those aspects of the SADC Parliamentary Forum's Electoral Standard and Norms not referred to specifically elsewhere in this document.
- The reversal of administrative decisions that have resulted in the closure of the Daily News and the removal of all obstacles preventing the Daily News and other newspapers from operating freely.
- The liberalization of the broadcasting media and the opening up of state media to carry equal amounts of coverage of all parties' electoral messages pro rata to the percentage of votes they secured in the last general Parliamentary election.
- The complete disbanding of the Youth Militia.
- The use of translucent plastic ballot boxes of secure, single-piece construction
- That all voting should be done and completed in one day; to ensure this sufficient numbers of polling stations be established.
- Unhindered access to the entire electoral process by international, regional and domestic election observer missions
- That all counting of ballots take place at polling stations in the mandatory presence of polling agents and observers.
- The use of visible indelible ink to identify those who have voted
Before the elections the MDC will review the position and reserves the right to take whatever appropriate action in defense of democracy.
Please spread this information far and wide, to correct the misinformation put about by the state-controlled media.
Trudy Stevenson Secretary for Policy and Research
www.mdczimbabwe.org |
| Country |
Zimbabwe |
| Themes |
- Democracy
- Elections
- Freedom of expression
- Human rights
- Political parties
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