News / Local
Chamisa bounces back
27 May 2024 at 17:19hrs | Views
OPPOSITION leader Nelson Chamisa continues to apply pressure on SADC, nine months after last year’s chaotic general elections, revealing in a Monday statement that the regional body is giving the matter "due consideration."
Chamisa garnered nearly two million votes in a highly contested presidential race plagued by irregularities, including delayed delivery of voting materials to opposition strongholds and voter intimidation in various areas.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's (ZEC) handling of the election faced criticism from Election Observer Missions (EOM) from Europe, America, the African Union, and SADC, prompting Chamisa to protest to the regional body.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Chamisa said that despite receiving a response late last year, he had sent a follow-up letter hoping SADC could help resolve Zimbabwe's political crisis.
This was Chamisa’s first public address since resigning from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, alleging infiltration.
"Our request to SADC was and remains very simple: as the regional body that Zimbabwe is a member of, we need their facilitation to peacefully resolve the issues surrounding the irregular and disputed elections," said Chamisa.
"We want this issue resolved as soon as possible. We cannot be the world's laughing stock, a country that never has credible elections. Remember the 2018 elections were disputed, and so were the 2023 polls.
"There is no other election in the history of this country that has faced such resounding and universal condemnation as the August 2023 elections.
"This matter must be resolved so that the country can have proper elections that produce a legitimate government chosen by the citizens."
Chamisa's first letter to SADC was sent on September 26, a month after ZEC declared Mnangagwa the winner. SADC responded on October 23, before Chamisa's follow-up on April 29, which he said was prompted by silence at its Troika meetings, particularly the one held in Zambia in March.
"We wrote to our regional body, SADC, the guarantor of the values and principles of the aspirations of the common agenda and the common will of the people of Southern Africa," he said.
SADC gained significant attention after delivering a critical report on Zimbabwe's elections, stopping short of declaring them a sham. State actors targeted the head of its delegation, Dr. Nevers Mumba, accusing him of colluding with Zambia's President, Hakainde Hichilema, to condemn them.
Chamisa added, "The current challenges of failing to resolve the huge national debt, high inflation, currency distortions, drought, starvation, poverty, poor income, the hostile political environment, an air of sadness, and brain drain are all symptoms of a government without a proper mandate."
Zimbabwe is set to host the 44th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit this August.
Chamisa garnered nearly two million votes in a highly contested presidential race plagued by irregularities, including delayed delivery of voting materials to opposition strongholds and voter intimidation in various areas.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's (ZEC) handling of the election faced criticism from Election Observer Missions (EOM) from Europe, America, the African Union, and SADC, prompting Chamisa to protest to the regional body.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Chamisa said that despite receiving a response late last year, he had sent a follow-up letter hoping SADC could help resolve Zimbabwe's political crisis.
This was Chamisa’s first public address since resigning from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, alleging infiltration.
"Our request to SADC was and remains very simple: as the regional body that Zimbabwe is a member of, we need their facilitation to peacefully resolve the issues surrounding the irregular and disputed elections," said Chamisa.
"We want this issue resolved as soon as possible. We cannot be the world's laughing stock, a country that never has credible elections. Remember the 2018 elections were disputed, and so were the 2023 polls.
"There is no other election in the history of this country that has faced such resounding and universal condemnation as the August 2023 elections.
"This matter must be resolved so that the country can have proper elections that produce a legitimate government chosen by the citizens."
Chamisa's first letter to SADC was sent on September 26, a month after ZEC declared Mnangagwa the winner. SADC responded on October 23, before Chamisa's follow-up on April 29, which he said was prompted by silence at its Troika meetings, particularly the one held in Zambia in March.
"We wrote to our regional body, SADC, the guarantor of the values and principles of the aspirations of the common agenda and the common will of the people of Southern Africa," he said.
SADC gained significant attention after delivering a critical report on Zimbabwe's elections, stopping short of declaring them a sham. State actors targeted the head of its delegation, Dr. Nevers Mumba, accusing him of colluding with Zambia's President, Hakainde Hichilema, to condemn them.
Chamisa added, "The current challenges of failing to resolve the huge national debt, high inflation, currency distortions, drought, starvation, poverty, poor income, the hostile political environment, an air of sadness, and brain drain are all symptoms of a government without a proper mandate."
Zimbabwe is set to host the 44th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit this August.
Source - newzimbabwe
