'It's impossible for Zanu-PF to change'

Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa, has criticised President Emmerson Mnangagwa for "failing" to address electoral reforms less than three months before a watershed election.

In an interview with News24, Chamisa said it was impossible for the ruling party to "change its long held tradition of vote rigging".

Chamisa said that there were a number of issues that were still to be resolved before the country could be declared fit to hold a free and fair election.

Zimbabwe was set to go to the polls before the end of August.

"Well, it is impossible to expect a mosquito to cure malaria. They (Zanu-PF) will try to run away from a fair and free election," Chamisa said.

"It is less than three months before the elections but we have not yet seen the voters roll. The president has not even declared an election date, so really it is worrisome."

'Drama of an election'

Chamisa said that he was also concerned that his party was not being given enough airtime to convey its message to the country's electorate.

He said that Zanu-PF and president Mnangagwa were getting airtime on the country's state-owned media.

"We have not been allowed to equally use the media to spread our ideas. It's only the ruling Zanu-PF party that has been allowed to use the state-owned ZBC (Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation), and it's a shame that we have only one television station in the country - 38 years after independence," said Chamisa.

Last month Chamisa told journalists in Harare that his party would not allow Mnangagwa to run an election if it was not satisfied with reforms.

He said that without the MDC, an election was unlikely going to happen.

Chamisa said that his party would not accept a "drama of an election".