The United State-based International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) have called on the government of Zimbabwe to speed up the processes of advancing security and legal reforms to safeguard citizens\u2019 rights to freedom of expression.<\/p>\n
A delegation of the two institutions was in the country from Monday to yesterday to assess the status of Zimbabwe\u2019s electoral reform agenda and the space for democratic elections more broadly.<\/p>\n
The delegation was led by former US ambassador to Zimbabwe, and ex-Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, NDI regional director for
\neast and southern Africa Dickson Omondi, IRI senior technical specialist for east and southern Africa Jessica Keegan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile notable efforts have been made to repeal and replace restrictive laws and to a lesser extent engage stakeholders, the delegation encourages the
\nGovernment of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Executive to address the fundamental deficit in the democratic space,\u201d IRI and NDI said in a
\njoint statement yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe delegation strongly urges the government to continue to advance security and legal reforms that guarantee citizens\u2019 constitutional right to freedom of
\nexpression, freedom of association and peaceful assembly. Enacting and enforcing these reforms will improve Zimbabwe\u2019s democratic capital and help to advance
\nthe country\u2019s economic recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
The delegation heard reports of low levels of trust in government institutions due to insufficient public outreach and alleged systematic intimidation of
\nopposition and civil society activists.<\/p>\n
It also heard of alleged mismanagement of public funds and poor governance marked by inflation, currency instability, and shortages of fuel, food and medicines
\nwere also issues that were brought to the attention of the delegation.<\/p>\n
When the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions called for a stayaway against the rising cost of living in January, President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s government
\nresponded with brute force by unleashing security forces, resulting in 17 deaths while more than a dozen women were raped or sexually assaulted and up to 1 055
\npeople detained.<\/p>\n
The delegation said despite the shortcomings identified by the delegation, there was still opportunity for Zimbabwe to enact the requisite meaningful political
\nreforms to move the country forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge government to move swiftly to implement the political and electoral changes that will strengthen public confidence in the government and advance
\nZimbabwe\u2019s democratic standing,\u201d the statement read in part.<\/p>\n
IRI and NDI, which jointly observed the 2018 harmonised elections under the Zimbabwe International Election Observation Mission banner, commended the
\ngovernment for its demonstrative will to repeal robust pieces of legislation, including Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and
\nProtection of Privacy Act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The United State-based International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) have called on the government of Zimbabwe to speed up the processes of advancing security and legal reforms to safeguard citizens\u2019 rights to freedom of expression. A delegation of the two institutions was in the country from Monday to yesterday to assess […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":11680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[55,149,339,419],"class_list":{"0":"post-11679","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-government","10":"tag-president","11":"tag-security","12":"tag-us"},"yoast_head":"\n