The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has been accused of manipulating a forum of presidential candidates that meets weekly to dismiss Nelson Chamisa’s demands for administrative electoral reforms.
This is revealed after it emerged that the under pressure Zec has now said through acting chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana it is prepared to discuss with Chamisa a raft of administrative electoral reforms he is demanding but only in the Multi-Party Liaison Committee — a structure for conflict management created by Zec after the close of the Nomination Court.
MDC President Nelson Chamisa has told Zec the Multi-Party Liaison Committee has already agreed with him and there was no need for another meeting. He also argued that the enforcement of his individual rights cannot be dependent upon the choice by other presidential candidates to either claim or waiver their own rights.
He fears a new meeting of the Multi-Party Liaison Committee could be manipulated to reject his demands because he suspects some of the presidential candidates are not genuine opposition but a creation of the ruling Zanu PF.
This comes as the Report Focus News found out yesterday that most of the opposition political parties agree with President Nelson Chamisa’s demands and actually came up with a common position at a meeting held on July 9 in Kadoma.
Representatives of the MDC Alliance, Joice Mujuru’s People’s Rainbow Coalition (PRC), Elton Mangoma’s Coalition of Democrats (Code), Nkosana Moyo’s Alliance for the People’s Agenda (APA), Noah Manyika’s Build Zimbabwe Alliance (BZA) and Thokozani Khupe’s MDC all endorsed Chamisa’s demands at the Kadoma meeting.
According to a document titled Common position of the opposition political parties and candidates, the parties resolved: “We the undersigned political parties and independent candidates contesting the Zimbabwe Presidential Election 2018 have lost the trust that Zec can carry out a free fair and credible election. Zec needs to do everything that ensures they deliver a free fair and credible election.”
However, that document was not signed by presidential candidates Violet Mariyacha of UDM, Blessing Kasiyamhuru of ZIPP, Joseph Makamba Busha of Freedom Congress, Ambrose Mutinhiri of NPF, Lovemore Madhuku of NCA, Johannes Chiguvare of PPP, Bryn Mteki an independent, Peter Harry Wilson of DOP, Tendai Munyanduri T of New Patritic Front, William Tawonezvi Mugadza of Bethel Christian Party, Divine Hove of NAPDR, Hlabangana Kwanele of RPZ, Peter Gava Mapfumo of UNDF, and Melbah Dzapasi of 1980 Freedom Movement Zimbabwe and Daniel Shumba of UDA.
According to confidential resolutions contained in the document, the parties jointly came to the conclusion Zec must immediately release the correct voters’ roll as required by law.
