News / National
Zapu calls for 2018 elections postponment
21 Jul 2017 at 08:10hrs | Views
ZAPU president Dumiso Dabengwa yesterday called for the postponement of the 2018 elections, arguing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has shown they were not ready and not capable of holding credible polls.
Addressing journalists at a Press conference in Bulawayo yesterday, the former Home Affairs minister rallied other opposition parties and ordinary Zimbabweans to refuse to be rushed into a sham election as happened in 2013.
"Zapu's investigations into the readiness to hold free and fair elections in 2018 have revealed that Zimbabwe is not ready for the 2018 elections because of issues to do with the voters' roll.
"The primary issue of concern is that the Zec has not generated a new voters' roll since the last elections held in 2013. As Zapu, we recommend that the 2018 elections should be postponed until the voters' roll is updated," Dabengwa told journalists.
Zec chairperson, Rita Makarau has said the electoral body was ready to hold credible elections.
Dabengwa was, however, evasive on whether Zapu will boycott the 2018 polls if they were not postponed, but said the party's investigations showed that next year's poll results could be manipulated in favour of Zanu-PF.
He said Zec's handling of the Chiwundura by-election, where several irregularities related to the voters' roll, such as multiple similar voters' records, was evidence that Zimbabwe was headed for disputed polls.
Dabengwa said chances were high that Zec will use the 2013 voters' roll, which according to the opposition, had ghost voters.
"In order to fix these issues and anomalies with the voters' roll, Zec says that it needs just under $300 million. Since Zec does not have these funds, and will have no choice, but to use the old voters' roll, Zapu strongly feels that this is evidence that the 2018 elections will be manipulated as they were in 2013, and that results will be manipulated.
"Ultimately, Zapu wants Zimbabweans to be aware that the voters' roll that will be used in the 2018 elections is the one that was used in 2013 that already brought fraudulent and unfair results," he said.
Dabengwa said an independent management body must instead take-over the running of the elections from the electoral body if it refused to postpone the polls, adding State security organs must also stay-away from the planning and running of the country's polls.
Addressing journalists at a Press conference in Bulawayo yesterday, the former Home Affairs minister rallied other opposition parties and ordinary Zimbabweans to refuse to be rushed into a sham election as happened in 2013.
"Zapu's investigations into the readiness to hold free and fair elections in 2018 have revealed that Zimbabwe is not ready for the 2018 elections because of issues to do with the voters' roll.
"The primary issue of concern is that the Zec has not generated a new voters' roll since the last elections held in 2013. As Zapu, we recommend that the 2018 elections should be postponed until the voters' roll is updated," Dabengwa told journalists.
Zec chairperson, Rita Makarau has said the electoral body was ready to hold credible elections.
Dabengwa was, however, evasive on whether Zapu will boycott the 2018 polls if they were not postponed, but said the party's investigations showed that next year's poll results could be manipulated in favour of Zanu-PF.
He said Zec's handling of the Chiwundura by-election, where several irregularities related to the voters' roll, such as multiple similar voters' records, was evidence that Zimbabwe was headed for disputed polls.
Dabengwa said chances were high that Zec will use the 2013 voters' roll, which according to the opposition, had ghost voters.
"In order to fix these issues and anomalies with the voters' roll, Zec says that it needs just under $300 million. Since Zec does not have these funds, and will have no choice, but to use the old voters' roll, Zapu strongly feels that this is evidence that the 2018 elections will be manipulated as they were in 2013, and that results will be manipulated.
"Ultimately, Zapu wants Zimbabweans to be aware that the voters' roll that will be used in the 2018 elections is the one that was used in 2013 that already brought fraudulent and unfair results," he said.
Dabengwa said an independent management body must instead take-over the running of the elections from the electoral body if it refused to postpone the polls, adding State security organs must also stay-away from the planning and running of the country's polls.
Source - newsday
