EU ratchets poll reforms pressure

THE European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) is ratcheting up pressure on Zimbabwe to institute reforms to its electoral system after its final report called into question the independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and the reliability of the presidential results it announced in the July 30 elections.

The mission, which last week presented its final report of the highly-contested elections (the first since former President Robert Mugabe was forced to resign after a de facto coup in November last year after 37 years in power) yesterday met the Parliamentary Legal Committee to see if there was political appetite to implement reforms before the 2023 elections.

In its final report of the July 30 polls won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa by 50,6%, against his rival Nelson Chamisa’s 44,3%, the EU EOM said Zimbabwe’s highly-contested July 30 presidential election results were not “verifiable” or “traceable,” casting doubt on their reliability and accuracy.

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