Member of Parliament though she was campaigning as an Independent
candidate since she had lost the primary elections. The accusations were then
followed by a full swing assault of all Tembwe ZANU PF supporters present.
Eight of the victims were arrested and charged with inciting public violence.
The Forum lawyers assisted the eight victims. The matter was taken to CID Law
and Order in Harare and the trial kicked off on the16th of October 2018.The
matter was removed from remand and the State was advised to proceed by way
of summons when it is ready for trial.
International Solidarity
The departure of former President Mugabe unlocked a new chapter in
Zimbabwe’s international relations in particular efforts for re -engagement after
more than two decades of international isolation. For the first time since the
2002 Presidential elections, Zimbabwe invited international observers. The
government also formally requested to be re-admitted to the Commonwealth. It
can be observed that since the November 2017 coup, President Mnangagwa
recognised the participation of international observers would strengthen the credibility
of the election process and therefore the doors of Zimbabwe were flung open to a
number of observer organisations, who had been denied access to Zimbabwean
elections by the former long-time President Robert Mugabe over the past two decades.
The invited groups included missions from the European Union (EU), the
Commonwealth, the Carter Centre, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and
International Republican Institute (IRI), as well as the African Union (AU) and
Southern African Development Community (SADC) from closer to home.
According to Section 40b of the Electoral Act election observers accredited by ZEC are
entitled to: (a) observe the election process and conduct of polling on Election Day; (b)
be present during the counting or collation of votes, as well as verification of polling
station returns by presiding officers; and (c) bring any irregularities in the conduct of
elections to the ZEC’s attention.11 ZEC accredited 1,007 international observers, 202
foreign journalists and 11, 019 local observers.
11
See the Zimbabwe Electoral Act
17
Select target paragraph3
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