The Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) says it is not pushing for the 2023 elections to be postponed but reiterated that it is in the process of formulating a roadmap for electoral reforms which will usher in free, fair and credible elections.
The grouping had been accused of trying to push for the postponement of the 2023 polls citing, among other reasons, COVID-19.
The country is currently not holding any elections due to the pandemic after Vice President Constantino Chiwenga banned them
At a meeting held in Kwekwe recently, POLAD’s economic thematic committee chairperson, Trust Chikohora said all political parties will take part in the 2023 elections
“We have never talked about postponing elections in Polad, in fact, we are talking about Electoral Reforms to ensure that we achieve an even better election in 2023, we achieve an election which will not be disputed, we achieve an election which can be validated even by various Observer Missions, and even by the generality of the people that we had a free and fair election,” said Chikohora
“The rest of this talk is a figment of people’s imagination, its things that are peddled by those who want to discredit Polad and those that are actually afraid of Polad or those that feel threatened by Polad.”
Opposition parties have for years been clamouring for electoral reforms to strengthen the integrity of the country’s polls which are always marred with disputes, with the opposition complaining of vote-rigging and manipulation.
Chikohora added that the POLAD grouping will engage relevant authorities to ensure the availability of an Electoral Act which will result in more credible elections in 2023.
“In terms of all the amendments that we want to be done, all the new things that we want to be done it is contained in our position on the Electoral Act Bill that we are engaging government on,” he said.
However, an election watchdog, Election Resources Centre says it is frustrated by the slow progress being done in order to have electoral reforms before 2023.
The organisation said Zimbabwe’s previous have all been soiled by vote-rigging claims which are threatening voter apathy with two years left before the next polls.
“For the people’s will to be reflected in the outcome of any election, there is a need to strengthen electoral processes which are accepted by all and sundry. Zimbabwe’s elections have in the past suffered a credibility test which has resulted in the electorate losing confidence in the electoral system,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, Chikohora said they are engaging the Ministry of Justice to review the Elections before it goes before Parliament for debate.
He further stated that POLAD is pushing for the introduction of braille in voting for the visually impaired people, equal access to public media, fair coverage and enhancing the independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
