The
call
comes
as
the
electoral
watchdog
joins
the
rest
of
the
world
in
celebrating
the
International
Day
of
Peace,
running
under
this
year’s
theme, “End
racism. Build
peace”.
“As
Zimbabwe
joins
the
rest
of
the
world
in
commemorating
this
special
day,
ZESN
strongly
believes
targeted
peacebuilding
efforts
will
go
a
long
way
in
preventing
election
violence
in
Zimbabwe
during
the
2023
pre,
polling
and
post-election
periods,”
the
organisation
said
in
a
statement.“Zimbabwe
is
a
signatory
to
the
African
Charter
on
Democracy,
Elections
and
Governance,
United
Nations
Universal
Declaration
of
Human
Rights
and
the
International
Covenant
on
Civil
and
Political
Rights,
among
others
which
call
for
the
promotion
of
peace
during
elections;
therefore
elections
are
an
important
aspect
of
every
society.”
ZESN
noted
that
“peace
ensures
that
voters
are
allowed
to
exercise
their
constitutional
and
democratic
rights
to
cast
votes
and
elect
candidates
of
choice
without
fear
or
intimidation.”
“The
Network
calls
for
the
strengthening
of
the
National
Peace
and
Reconciliation
Commission
(NPRC)
and
the
Zimbabwe
Human
Rights
Commission
(ZHRC),
Faith
Based
Organizations
(FBOs),
Civic
Society
Organizations
(CSOs),
Community
Based
Organizations
(CBOs),
Education
Institutions,
Political
Parties
and
the
Media
as
they
are
critical
stakeholders
to
fostering
a
culture
of
peace
and
tolerance
in
the
society.”
The
Network
also
called
on
the
media
to serve
as
a
conduit
for
public
debates;
peace
and
reconciliation
through
promoting
dialogue
between
contesting
candidates
and
not
proliferating
hate
speech.
“CSOs
must
continue
with
their
watchdog
role
to
ensure
tenets
of
democracy
and
adherence
to
human
rights
are
maintained
and
upheld.”
ZESN
also
urged
the
Zimbabwe
Electoral
Commission
(ZEC),
Civic
Society
Organisations,
Faith
Based
Organisations
(FBOs)
,
the
media
and
all
institutions
supporting
democracy
to
provide
citizens
with
objective civic
and
voter
education
focusing
on
peace
messaging
and
youth
engagement
as
this
will
go
a
long
way
in
mitigating
against
conflict
that
leads
to
political
and
electoral
violence
at
all
stages
of
the
electoral
cycle.