The United States Embassy yesterday took the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to task urging it to move with speed in implementing electoral reforms ahead of the 2023 elections.
In a series of tweets yesterday, the embassy said the commission is falling short of meeting the reforms as stipulated under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA). an act which gave birth to the sanctions from the US government over issues of gross human rights violations and electoral malpractices under the then Robert Mugabe led government.
The US government said ZEC dabbled the 26 March by-elections and should the condition on which the elections were held still remain, the 2023 elections would lose credibility.
“As Zimbabwe moves toward 2023 general elections, we urge the government to integrate lessons learned from civil society to set the stage for peaceful and credible national elections that are fully consistent with international standards,” the embassy said.
To achieve this, the embassy added, “Partisan distribution of humanitarian assistance, food, agricultural inputs, and other public services in exchange for votes must end”
The by-elections were marred by political violence, voter intimidation and suppression of opposition members by alleged state apparatus.
