Press Statement
October 1, 2002.
Results confirm militarisation and abuse of election management.
As stated in our objection to the Local Government election lodged with the High Court last week, it is becoming clear that Zimbabwe is not yet ready for the event, especially when conducted by the current Registrar General’s office and supervised by a militarized ESC.
The two institutions have since the parliamentary election in 2000 proved to be completely toothless in their dealings with Zanu PF and are incapable of ensuring a free and fair expression of the people’s will.
The results of the Council by-elections held over the weekend serves to confirm a victory of the militarization and abuse of the management of the elections in Zimbabwe and not the will of the people.
Elections where over 700 candidates are physically prevented from contesting, where polling agents are not allowed inside polling stations, where a whole army battalion runs the whole exercise and voters’ choices are manipulated is not an election at all. It is a tragic circus.
Even those who withstood the odds to register and participate faced fresh hardships on polling days. Voting started late, our candidates were abducted, intimidated and robbed and violence continued unabated, making the climate a hostile one for a meaningful election to take place.
The Zanu PF victory is thus a hollow and stolen victory. One day a proper election will be conducted in Zimbabwe in which the true will of the people shall be known. Thus the people’s struggle shall intensify until the will of the people is confirmed.
The victory of the people will give birth to a government that has the ability and commitment to bring about food and avert the starvation that the nation faces, that has a plan to deal with joblessness and one that is also committed to bringing peace to Zimbabwe.
Mugabe will have to ask himself if he keeps closing all democratic avenues for the ever impoverished people of Zimbabwe, what options he has for them to consider as the alternative to expressing themselves.
Remus Makuwaza,
MDC Director of Elections.
|
|
You can make a difference
|
|
 |
Make a donation |
|
Support Zimbabwe at an event |
|
Lobby your local Government member |
|
Become a member of the ZIC |
|
