Suspicions as Makarau quits

The shock resignation by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chairperson Rita Makarau - a mere eight months before the country holds its make-or-break national elections next year - has cast a huge shadow on the eagerly-awaited polls, which a fearful opposition want to be monitored by international observers.

Makarau - also a respected Supreme Court judge and the secretary of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) - stunned the country on Friday when she abruptly resigned from her post without giving any reasons, amid a plethora of political conspiracies.

Well-placed sources at the Zec who spoke to the Daily News on Sunday yesterday also said Makarau's unexpected departure had left a of lot of questions unanswered, as days before she quit she had been in jovial mood in meetings with stakeholders at the national elections management body.