Voter intimidation rife in African polls

DESPITE 46 African countries, including Zimbabwe, having signed the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) and 33 ratified it, elections in most African countries are still bedevilled by issues of voter intimidation, rigging, vote buying and other ills.

Article 17 to 22 of the ACDEG stipulates that State parties should hold free and fair elections, ensure fair and equitable access by contesting parties and candidates to State-controlled media, establish national mechanisms that redress election disputes and establish and strengthen the independence of electoral bodies like the Zimbabwe Elections Commission (Zec).

Presenting the preliminary findings on a continental citizens’ report on ACDEG implementation to journalist during an Actionaid workshop on ACDEG in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Actionaid (Mozambique) Pan African governance adviser Johannes Chiminya, who is a Zimbabwean, said they found that most elections in Africa were affected by electoral violence.

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