ALERT: CONTINUED INTIMIDATION OF ERC OBSERVERS AND STAFF
The Election Resource Centre (ERC) has received numerous reports from our network of accredited observers who observed the 23 and 24 August 2023 Harmonised Election who continue to be harassed and intimidated as a result of their election related work. The observers have informed our offices that they are; being summoned to polling locations to sign “new” V11 results forms as there are errors on previous ones and in other instances being summoned to bring any phone used to communicate with ERC offices on election day.
While the majority of the observers have been contacted telephonically, the ERC notes concerning cases in Kariba, Karoi and Makoni, where observers have been physically visited at their homes with these requests. The intimidation of observers has had a detrimental effect on the freeness and fairness of the 2023 Harmonised Election, and the ERC calls on all electoral stakeholders including the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe Republic Police, to put a stop to the intimidation of election observers.
The ERC would like to reiterate that there is no legal framework that enforces election observers to return and sign amended results sheets or return copies of results sheets outside of a court order mandating them to do so.
Additionally, the ERC notes that two employees were tailed by unmarked cars from Rotten Row Magistrates Court to their respective locations following the conclusion of the case of 35 ERC and ZESN employees and volunteers who were released on bail.
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