Home | About us | Campaigns | MisaNet | Media Releases | Events | Mailing List | Awards | Mail Box | Jobs | Contact us

Programmes
Freedom of Expression
Broadcasting
Media Monitoring
Gender & Media Support
Legal Support
   
Chapters
Angola
Botswana
Lesotho
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
   
Research & Publications
So This is Democracy
Free Press
Undue Restriction
Gender Media Study
Licenscing in SADC
MISA Constitution
Annual Report
Media Directory




MISA Regional statement on Zimbabwe elections

Zimbabwe votes in unfair & non-free environment

Zimbabwe goes to polls over the weekend to choose a new government. If voted into power ZANU-PF would have been the sole party in power for the last 27 years, and Mr Mugabe, President for six consecutive terms. While the outcome of this electoral process cannot be determined now, it is

well within the rights of MISA to express concern on a number of issues that affect the freeness and fairness of the coming 29 March elections.

The prevailing media and freedom of expression environment in Zimbabwe remains a major area of concern that renders the coming elections questionable as far as critical and alternative voices have not been allowed freedom to operate and be heard.

It should be noted from the beginning that Zimbabwe has one of the worst media and freedom of expression environments in the world, characterized by repressive media laws, chief among them the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), The Public Order and Security Act (POSA), The Broadcasting services Act (BSA) and the Interception of Communications Act (ICA). These laws have been used not only to shut down critical newspapers and ban critical journalists and media houses but have been invoked in this election to ban local and international journalists and a number of foreign media organizations among them CNN and South Africa’s ETV news.

Furthermore the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) has used non existent laws demanding to accredit only journalists licensed by the state controlled Media and Information Commission(MIC). This is despite the fact that the MIC, in its present form is an illegal entity as per the January 2008 amendments to AIPPA. Demands that foreign journalists pay huge sums of money as well as seek approval of the foreign affairs Ministry have resulted in many foreign media organizations interested in covering the elections staying away and others including CNN and South Africa’s E-TV out rightly banned by the Zimbabwe government.

These conditions imposed by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission are unlawful and contravenes the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections as agreed by all SADC Heads of State including President Mugabe. The ZEC further violates all regional initiatives on Elections management all of which Zimbabwe is a signatory including; the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Norms and Standards for Elections in Southern Africa, the Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF) and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa’s (EISA) Principles for Election Management , Monitoring and Observation in Southern Africa. Read more

Downloads
  Workshops
  SPP
  AGM Resolution
  Gender, HIV/AIDS & Poverty
  Zimbabwe Report
   
Other Links
  SADC Newspaper
  SADC Broadcaster
  MISA Partners
   
World News
  AllAfrica.com
  BBC
  CNN
  SADC
  SARDC
  IRIN
  VOA
© 2008 Media Institute of Southern Africa : promoting media diversity . pluralism . self-sufficiency . independence.
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: The newspapers' contents on the links and all other related materials hosted on our site are products and sole responsibility of respective publishers and do not necessarily represent the views of MISA nor its employees.