Olwyn Enright
Question:134 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the upcoming elections in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2627/05]
View answerWednesday, 2 February 2005
Questions (101)
Written answers
The parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe on 31 March will represent an important test in determining the willingness of the Zimbabwean Government to effect genuine political reforms and improve the situation in that country as regards democracy, good governance and respect for human rights.
Ireland and our EU partners believe firmly that for the parliamentary elections in March to be free and fair, they must be held in accordance with the principles and guidelines on democratic elections adopted by the SADC, Southern African Development Community, summit in Mauritius last August and with which the Zimbabwean Government initially stated it would comply. To date, however, there has been little sign of such compliance on the Zimbabwean Government's part through political reforms such as the lifting of repressive legislation and the opening up of political space to opposition parties in Zimbabwe. If anything, the political and human rights situation has deteriorated in recent months, with the passing of repressive legislation imposing severe restrictions on the operations of non-governmental organisations, NGOs, particularly those in the human rights and humanitarian fields. Ireland, both nationally and as part of the EU, has made known our concerns to the Zimbabwean authorities regarding the possible implications of this new legislation for humanitarian organisations operating in Zimbabwe while these concerns have also been raised at EU level with the other members of SADC.
The lack of progress on the Zimbabwean Government's part in complying with the SADC guidelines has led the Movement for Democratic Change, the principal opposition party in Zimbabwe, to announce that it will not participate in any elections which are held outside the provisions of the SADC framework. A final decision by the MDC on whether to participate is likely to be taken shortly. Obviously, any prospect of free and fair parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe in March will be greatly diminished in the event of a MDC decision not to participate.
Ireland, along with our EU partners, will continue to urge the Zimbabwean Government to introduce the political reforms which are necessary if the parliamentary elections in March are to be held in full accordance with the SADC guidelines. SADC has an important role to play in monitoring the Zimbabwean elections and the EU is using every opportunity to press South Africa and the other members of SADC to use their not inconsiderable influence with the Zimbabwean Government in this regard. In the meantime, the common position imposing targeted sanctions against members of the ruling elite in Zimbabwe, first adopted by the EU in February 2002, is likely to be renewed for a further period of 12 months in the coming weeks, given the absence of any real progress to date by the Zimbabwean authorities towards meeting the benchmarks on promotion of democracy and respect for human rights which the EU has set.
Question No. 135 answered with QuestionNo. 93.
Question No. 136 answered with QuestionNo. 113.