THE GOVERNMENT must adopt a clear position in relation to this weekend's elections in Zimbabwe and should exert its influence at EU and UN level to encourage comprehensive monitoring of the polls, the Irish bishops' Commission for Justice and Social Affairs (ICJSA) and Trócaire have said in a joint statement.
While acknowledging that it is unlikely that "any significant achievements" can be made in the short time remaining before Saturday's vote, the two bodies called on the Government to do all it can at international level to push for the implementation of Southern African Development Community (SADC) principles and guidelines on elections, and proper monitoring of the polls by SADC, African Union, civil society and international observers.
Saturday's polling will combine presidential, parliamentary, senatorial and local council elections. Observers have expressed concern about the bias shown by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) towards the ruling party; insufficient mechanisms for voter registration, and the disqualification from voting of approximately three million Zimbabweans now resident outside the country. The bishops and Trócaire noted that while an SADC electoral observer mission has been dispatched to Zimbabwe, numerous other international and civil society observers have so far failed to get accreditation from the government there.
"There is also a general concern that fear of State-sanctioned violence, given the experience of Zimbabwe's recent history, may prove an inhibiting factor, preventing full citizen participation in the coming elections," the statement said. "In sum, all available evidence suggests that the conditions necessary for free and fair elections do not currently exist in Zimbabwe."
In the long term, it said, the Government should promote initiatives to support political reform and the restoration of economic stability in Zimbabwe, including encouraging African leaders to take a more critical stance on the Mugabe regime, supporting EU sanctions against his government, and responding in a "timely and appropriate" way to humanitarian needs in the country.
"The ICJSA and Trócaire believe that any truly effective response to the Zimbabwean crisis must come from African-led initiatives," the statement said.
"The role of Ireland and other nations should therefore be firstly, one of support and encouragement for the efforts of the African Union and SADC."