News / National
Mugabe, Tsvangirai TV debate ruled out
27 Sep 2017 at 11:44hrs | Views
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has ruled out staging a televised debate with candidates vying for the presidency.
The proposal to bring the candidates together and publicly discuss their plans for the country's future were tabled by Patrick Semphere - who moderated Malawi's first-ever presidential debate in 2014 - at the ongoing Zec media workshop, but the proposal was scuppered by Zec commissioner Joyce Kazembe.
"Currently the law that gives the commission the mandate to monitor the media does not give the commission any sanctioning power (to call presidential debates), which is very different from other countries," Kazembe said.
No televised debate has ever been held in a Zimbabwe presidential election.
Kazembe said electoral commissions in other countries have the power "but in Zimbabwe, we operate really on moral suasion... otherwise, we have no sanctioning power."
While debates are seldom good places to change the momentum of the race, it is also one last chance for candidates to impress upon a huge national audience their readiness for the presidency.
The proposal to bring the candidates together and publicly discuss their plans for the country's future were tabled by Patrick Semphere - who moderated Malawi's first-ever presidential debate in 2014 - at the ongoing Zec media workshop, but the proposal was scuppered by Zec commissioner Joyce Kazembe.
"Currently the law that gives the commission the mandate to monitor the media does not give the commission any sanctioning power (to call presidential debates), which is very different from other countries," Kazembe said.
No televised debate has ever been held in a Zimbabwe presidential election.
Kazembe said electoral commissions in other countries have the power "but in Zimbabwe, we operate really on moral suasion... otherwise, we have no sanctioning power."
While debates are seldom good places to change the momentum of the race, it is also one last chance for candidates to impress upon a huge national audience their readiness for the presidency.
Source - online
