ZEC unfit to run elections—MDC-T

via ZEC unfit to run elections—MDC-T – The Zimbabwean 7 April 2015

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) lacks the legitimacy to run elections, says MDC-T.

In a statement released today, MDC-T national spokesperson, Obert Gutu, said the ZEC secretariat remained militarised and was manned by Zanu (PF) apologists and state security functionaries.

“The MDC is convinced that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is completely and utterly incapable of conducting elections that will pass the test of legitimacy. The ZEC secretariat is still militarised and packed with State – affiliated security agents and other Zanu PF regime apologists.

“The secretariat is currently run by a shadowy but apparently very powerful clique that is working very closely with the Nikuv rigging machinery,” said Gutu.

Nikuv is an Israeli company that has been fingered in election rigging in Zimbabwe and other countries.

Gutu said the majority of ZEC commissioners were unaware of Zanu (PF)’s rigging machinations that were privy to “a very small clique of trusted operatives”.

He accused Zanu (PF) of frog marching voters to polling stations and intimidating them during the recent by-elections in Mount Darwin West and Chirumanzu-Zibagwe.

“Poor and hungry villagers were commandeered by traditional leaders to go and vote for a candidate who was not only deeply unpopular but also loathed by the local electorate (Auxillia, wife to vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa).

“Independent election observers have since vindicated the MDC position to the effect that unless and until far – reaching electoral reforms are carried out in Zimbabwe, all elections to be held in this country will never be free and fair and credible enough to pass the test of legitimacy,” said Gutu.

He said ZEC had no control over the production and maintenance of the voters’ roll, but Zanu (PF), the ruling party that he said was collaborating with Nikuv.

This, he said, made it “impossible for any opposition political party in Zimbabwe to win elections,” and added that there was “urgent need to completely overhaul the ZEC secretariat”.

Gutu called on Zimbabweans, SADC, AU as well as the United Nations to come together and stop political illegitimacy as well as the current socio-economic woes.

He said time had come for President Robert Mugabe and his ruling party to adhere to SADC guidelines on the conduct of elections.

Gutu called for the complete overhaul of the old voters’ roll which ZEC says it will only amend instead of discarding.