Zim’s MDC not sure polls will be fair
HARARE: President Emmerson Mnangagwa is not being sincere when he says Zimbabwe will have free and fair elections later this year.
That is according to Welshman Ncube, who was speaking on behalf of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change alliance.
The alliance, formed by MDC founding president Morgan Tsvangirai, who died last month, is still trying to recruit more opposition parties into a broad front against the governing Zanu-PF ahead of the presidential, parliamentary, Senate and local government elections later this year.
Ncube, appointed by Tsvangirai as the alliance’s spokesperson, said: “Sincerity will involve taking actions on electoral reforms. For instance, if Mnangagwa was sincere, he would say today to Zanu-PF to stop going around demanding voter slips.”
Zimbabwe has created a new voters roll via biometric voter registration, which many hope will reduce vote rigging.
During the 2013 elections, the electronic version of the voters roll was not available to the MDC, and even the paper roll only turned up the night before polling day.
Many voters, particularly in rural areas, where more than 60% of the electorate live, have confided to human rights groups that former president Robert Mugabe’s associates and traditional leaders coerced them into voting for Zanu-PF or face retribution.
Mugabe resigned after a soft military coup in November, and the Zanu-PF then appointed Mnangagwa to succeed him.
Several members of the so-called G40 faction within Zanu-PF were attacked when the military took over. Mugabe had been in power for nearly four decades.
Several G40 leaders who backed former first lady Grace Mugabe in the succession battle within Zanu-PF fled into exile in Kenya and South Africa. At least another three, including two former cabinet ministers, were arrested and are on trial on various corruption charges.
There were massive and unprecedented celebrations on the streets of the capital Harare when the military took over. Many said their joy was not so much in support of Mnangagwa, but because Mugabe’s 37-year grip on power was finally over.
Ncube said the military and the current vice-president, Constantino Chiwenga, should tell the Zimbabweans that they have the right to choose their leaders.
“If he was sincere, he would tell (army commander) Valerio Sibanda that this time we recognise the sovereignty of the people of Zimbabwe. ‘You, Sibanda, you are the commander of the army, tell the people that the previous statements by (former Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander) Chiwenga and (Vitalis) Zvinavashe…. the people have a right to select their leaders.”
Previously, Chiwenga and his senior colleagues said they would only recognise the election of political leaders who fought in the liberation war that ended nearly 40 years ago.
Ncube said Mnangagwa had a duty to assure the nation that the next elections would be fought on a “level playing field… he would then stop sending helicopters to hover over our rallies… It is within his power to stop this tomorrow.”
Earlier this week, a small demonstration in Bulawayo was broken up when police fired water cannons against protesting students.