The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has implored stakeholders in the country’s political landscape to create a conducive environment for credible elections starting with next month’s by-elections.
In its monthly monitoring report for January, ZPP said it recorded intra party violence across the political divide as well as arrest and harassment of citizens for wearing yellow, a colour dominant with the newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change.
“Across the country, there were scores of people being harassed and intimidated for wearing yellow in many parts of the country, raising concerns about the low levels of political tolerance in the country,” read the report
The human rights pressure group called on the ruling Zanu PF party to respect the line between the party and Government.
“Based on the political developments spelt out in this report, we believe that before we belong to any political party, we are Zimbabwean First and as we go to the by-elections on March 26, we reiterate the following recommendations, which we believe can create an environment for free, fair and credible elections in 2022 and beyond.
“We implore ZEC to strengthen the Multi Party Liaison Committee to make it inclusive and capacitated to deal with cases of political violence. ZPP expects that aid should not be used as a tool for political coercion or vote buying and no political party should interfere in government aid processes as these are meant to benefit those deserving regardless of their political affiliation
“ZPP further urges the ruling party to respect the line between the party and the government, and to ensure that all citizens enjoy their constitutionally guaranteed right to participate in the electoral processes without coercion. We believe that holding different political views is not a reason for anyone to be discriminated against, arrested, criminalised, intimidated or harassed as has been seen in the past year. It is our hope that these values are respected,” said the pressure group
ZPP added “Traditional leaders should be apolitical and should not use their influence to coerce citizens to vote for any political party. Without tolerance and harmony the lasting peace cannot be maintained. Lack of tolerance leads to fighting, violence, and finally it destroys the peace and security of our country.
“The most fundamental principle defining credible elections is that they must reflect the free expression of the will of the people. To achieve this, elections should be transparent, inclusive, and accountable, and there must be equitable opportunities to campaign.”
