SADC Chair lauds Zimbabwe, Eswatini polls

The SADC Chairperson and President of Angola João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço has commended Zimbabwe and Eswatini for conducting “exemplary” elections.

However, this endorsement by the SADC Chair is at odds with the SADC Election Observer Mission to Zimbabwe’s report that said the elections fell short of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections and violated Zimbabwe’s Electoral Law and the country’s Constitution.

In his address during the virtual Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held today, President Lourenço said the two countries were “orderly” in the way they conducted their elections

“Your Excellencies, allow me to congratulate President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe and His Majesty King Mswati III, the King of Eswatini, for the exemplary elections that were recently conducted in your countries.

The tranquility and orderly manner in which they took place constituted a major victory for democracy and a significant contribution to peace, stability, and harmony among all living forces of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Kingdom of Eswatini,” he said.

Lourenço’s praise all but puts paid to opposition CCC’s hope for the regional body’s buy-in in the party’s call for fresh elections. CCC rejected both the process and results of the poll but allowed its winning candidates to go to parliament and join councils.

The SEOM report had highlighted the role of Forever Associates of Zimbabwe (FAZ), a ZANU PF affiliate group in intimidating rural voters, partisan state media and police, ZEC’s chaotic delimitation report and refusal to release the voters’ roll to candidates, delay of voting in opposition strongholds, prohibitive candidate nomination fees, among other factors that made for an unlevel playing field.