News / National
NCA sides with Zanu-PF on elections date
21 Apr 2013 at 08:45hrs | Views
THE National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) says it will be unconstitutional to delay polls after the expiry of parliament on June 29, as it will leave the country at the mercy of the executive without checks and balances.
In resolutions passed after the meeting of the NCA's National Taskforce, the organisation said: "The NCA condemns attempts by the parties in government to delay polls because parliament's term expires in June and any extension beyond that date is illegal and unconstitutional.
"It will be illegal to have the executive running the country without Parliament."
Zimbabwe is preparing for the watershed harmonised elections to bring to an end the life of the inclusive government which is widely viewed as dysfunctional.
President Robert Mugabe had indicated that elections should be held on or by June 29.
The two MDC formations however insist that they should be held once reforms necessary for the holding of free and fair elections are in place.
Some of the conditions the two MDCs said are necessary for the holding of credible elections include security sector and media reforms.
Zanu-PF has already said that reforming the security sector is a non-starter.
The NCA said it was "saddened by the double standards exhibited by the MDC who are complaining about reforms before elections and yet they agreed to participate in a referendum in a skewed political environment".
"As the NCA we believe that there should be no excuses of reforms because the referendum was held in such an environment and yet no party complained," it said.
NCA is set to hold a General Assembly before the end of next month to determine its future. NCA chairperson Lovemore Madhuku has hinted that the body: would be transformed into a political party.
The NCA, was one of the bedrocks on which the MDC was formed. The body said it broke ranks when MDC started enjoying the trappings of power after the formation of the inclusive government in 2009.
During the referendum last month, NCA campaigned unsuccessfully for the "No vote", arguing that Zimbabweans had not been given adequate time to read the draft constitution.
The "Yes" vote prevailed after 3 079 966 voted in favour of the draft, leaving NCA to fight another day as only 179 000 voted against the document.
In resolutions passed after the meeting of the NCA's National Taskforce, the organisation said: "The NCA condemns attempts by the parties in government to delay polls because parliament's term expires in June and any extension beyond that date is illegal and unconstitutional.
"It will be illegal to have the executive running the country without Parliament."
Zimbabwe is preparing for the watershed harmonised elections to bring to an end the life of the inclusive government which is widely viewed as dysfunctional.
President Robert Mugabe had indicated that elections should be held on or by June 29.
The two MDC formations however insist that they should be held once reforms necessary for the holding of free and fair elections are in place.
Some of the conditions the two MDCs said are necessary for the holding of credible elections include security sector and media reforms.
The NCA said it was "saddened by the double standards exhibited by the MDC who are complaining about reforms before elections and yet they agreed to participate in a referendum in a skewed political environment".
"As the NCA we believe that there should be no excuses of reforms because the referendum was held in such an environment and yet no party complained," it said.
NCA is set to hold a General Assembly before the end of next month to determine its future. NCA chairperson Lovemore Madhuku has hinted that the body: would be transformed into a political party.
The NCA, was one of the bedrocks on which the MDC was formed. The body said it broke ranks when MDC started enjoying the trappings of power after the formation of the inclusive government in 2009.
During the referendum last month, NCA campaigned unsuccessfully for the "No vote", arguing that Zimbabweans had not been given adequate time to read the draft constitution.
The "Yes" vote prevailed after 3 079 966 voted in favour of the draft, leaving NCA to fight another day as only 179 000 voted against the document.
Source - thestandard
