. . . fresh elections, disbandment of ZEC and electoral process flawed
Staff Writer
Opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change Tuesday called for new elections as it challenges the electoral process with which the just ended polls were conducted.
CCC deputy National Spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba told the press that the opposition had nullified the results and called for disbanding of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commision.
“The citizens, through their representatives, believe the election is not a reflection of the true will of the people, as it was flawed, shambolic and illegal.
“We’ve emerged from an election that all stakeholders, including the majority of observer missions, rightly recognized as beneath the standards of constitutionality and democratic integrity,” Siziba said.
“We know that hundreds of thousands of voters were disenfranchised by illegal FAZ intimidation stationed outside thousands of polling booths, by fraudulent flyers distributed across our cities inventing a boycott, and locked outside of polling stations that didn’t open all day – but only in opposition strongholds.
“FAZ was funded by cartels who are at the centre of massive corruption in Zimbabwe. Helicopters hovered above polling stations to instill fear in the electorate. It was a war zone. Effectively there was no election in rural areas and there was gross voter suppression in urban areas. In a nutshell, this was not an election but coercion.”
Siziba said there was deliberately ploy by ZEC to suppress the urban vote by delays in opening of polling stations.
“Some voters were thrown out of their polling stations by a flawed delimitation exercise which had the effect of dramatically suppressing turnout in urban areas which is of course exactly what ZEC intended when they chose to keep urban voting stations closed while opening rural voting stations on time. This was just Election Day.
“In the lead up to the election, ZEC also broke the law by not providing the voters’ roll. Law enforcement consistently weaponised the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA) to flagrantly deny the opposition the chance to gather and speak to voters. And opposition political actors were arrested simply for having internal meetings.
“After Election Day there were serious challenges to the tabulation of votes, including widespread reports of agents being illegally recalled to stations to adjust totals to match ZEC declarations.
“The administration of these elections has humiliated Zimbabwe in front of Africa and the world, and it has disenfranchised and enraged Zimbabweans across the country, who deserve better, and demand better,” he said.
The opposition said ZEC was politically captured and could not be trust with handling elections.
“Thousands of volunteer supporters have risked violence and gone to extraordinary lengths and personal expense to collect and return original copies of V11 forms from around the country. Each of them willing to put their safety on the line to restore integrity to our elections,” he said.
“A true, democratic mandate can only be derived from the freely and equally expressed vote of the people. It is therefore clear that no one can be inaugurated as President on the basis of this fatally flawed election and these illegitimate results. Thus, there is only one option: we must have fresh elections.
“The fatally flawed execution of this election has fully obscured the will of the people. There is no alternative but a new, clean, fresh election to let the people freely and equally decide who shall lead our country. Only a fresh election, in which the voters roll is provided as required by law; in which no systematic intimidation is allowed outside the booths as required by law; in which all polling booths are open during full daylight hours as required by law; after which all results are fully and transparently tabulated; only that can possibly provide a democratic mandate. The election must be preceded by political and electoral reforms agreed to by all stakeholders, chief amongst which is disbanding ZEC as currently constituted,” he said.
He said African and regional organisations SADCand the AUcould facilitate, mediate scaffold and guarantee a process that would lead to our return to legitimacy in the shortest period of time.
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