HARARE – The governing ZAN-PF party in Zimbabwe has hit back at the SADeC Head of Mission, Nevers Mumba, who said the Zimbabwe Electoral Management Body fell short of the Zimbabwe Constitutional obligations and the Electoral Act including the SADeC principles in the elections.
The mission says the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission assured them that it was ready to conduct the polls and all material needed was available but on the day of the voting, some polling stations were not even there.
This forced elections to be extended by another day.
Many Zimbabweans living and working in South Africa went to Zimbabwe to cast their ballots.
ZANU-PF Spokesperson, Chris Mutsvangwa says Mumba must respect the laws of Zimbabwe.
“Mr Nevers Mumba from Zambia, we call you to order. Don’t delve into the laws of Zimbabwe. If you have issues tell your relevant institutions to take it up with the SADC secretariat.”
Zimbabwe Elections I Zanu-PF disputes EU Observer Mission report:
Partial results from Zimbabwe’s parliamentary election suggested the ruling party’s lead was growing on Friday, but election observers said the vote did not meet international standards and was conducted in a “climate of fear”.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party was widely expected to maintain its 43-year grip on power after Zimbabweans voted in a parliamentary and presidential poll on Wednesday.
A tally by state broadcaster ZBC showed ZANU-PF winning 101 parliamentary constituencies and the main opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) winning 59, out of a total of 210.
The result of the presidential vote has not been announced yet. It is expected within five days of voting.
Mnangagwa, 80, is seeking re-election at a time when the southern African country is grappling with soaring inflation and high unemployment, with many Zimbabweans reliant on dollar remittances from relatives abroad to make ends meet.
His main challenger is 45-year-old lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa.
Zimbabwe Elections | Results trickle in:
Zimbabwe’s chances of resolving a debt crisis and obtaining World Bank and International Monetary Fund loans are at stake, as foreign lenders have said a free and fair vote is a pre-condition for any meaningful talks.
The government and electoral commission promised a clean election. But some political analysts said it was likely to be heavily skewed in Mnangagwa’s favour given his party’s history of using state institutions to manipulate results.
“Curtailed rights and lack of level playing field led to an environment that was not always conducive to voters making a free and informed choice,” said the head of the European Union’s observer mission, Fabio Massimo Castaldo.
“Acts of violence and intimidation resulted in a climate of fear,” he told a news conference in the capital Harare, adding that the election did not meet international standards for transparency. – additional reporting by Reuters
