Staff ReporterZimbabwean opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has reportedly claimed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa wants to cause instability in the southern African country by trying to steal the forthcoming election through the “manipulation” of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
New Zimbabwe.com, reported that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance presidential candidate “warned that (the) instability would affect Zanu-PF members since they owned most businesses and houses in the country”.
Chamisa said this while addressing his supporters during a protest march on Wednesday where the opposition demanded fair elections following alleged irregularities in the electoral roll ahead of the July 30 vote, according to AFP.
“I told ED (Mnangagwa) that he is now causing instability in the country by rigging the elections because they are a national security issue. We will not compromise, we went to AU [African Union] and SADC [Southern African Development Community] and if we get no response, we will become our own answer,” Chamisa was quoted as saying.
International sanctions
The MDC claimed ZEC was biased towards Zanu-PF, with Chamisa saying that the electoral body was losing its credibility.
“Zanu-PF has never complained, not even once. Which team have you seen that plays a game without complaining, not even once to an impartial referee? It’s therefore clear that they are not players in this game and that the referee has picked a side,” NewsDay quoted Chamisa as saying.
Mnangagwa, a longtime ally of former president Robert Mugabe until he was fired as a result of a ruling party feud, was under pressure to deliver a free and fair election as a key step in lifting years of international sanctions.
Zimbabwe’s past elections had been marked by accusations of violence and fraud. Mugabe banned Western election observers but Mnangagwa has welcomed them for the first time in almost two decades.
