The opposition political parties have warned President Emmerson Mnangagwa that they will not be bullied into early elections before electoral reforms have been implemented.
This comes after Mnangagwa last week said that his government was preparing to hold elections in the next five months. The opposition also cited reports that military personnel has already been deployed into rural areas across the country to ensure victory for Zanu-PF. Minister of Justice, Legal And Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi has already declared that there is no need for electoral reforms in Zimbabwe.Ziyambi is quoted as saying:
In so far as we are concerned, we believe that we should not just waste resources doing cosmetic changes to the legislation that are already materially covered by the existing legislation.
Speaking at an MDC Alliance rally in Epworth, MDC-T vice president Nelson Chamisa said:
We must have an uncontested voters’ roll, which we should audit so that we all know who
is there.We don’t want to be blinded by talk coming from Mnangagwa, we need a clear roadmap that states how we should go to the elections.Mnangagwa knows that we want free and fair elections, but he is not doing what he should do.
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu added:
The issue at hand is that we need reforms first. The military should go back to the barracks and not intimidate our parents in the villages on behalf of Zanu PF. That will not give a credible election.
Former finance minister and leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Tendai Biti said
Elections should be held between July 22 and August 22, 2018, but what is key is what Mnangagwa does between now and then.
Chiefs must stay in their palaces without interfering in politics. The army should be professional and not do a coup on Zimbabweans.
More: NewsDay