Chamisa in panic mode

Panic has gripped opposition political parties ahead of this year's harmonised elections, with officials worried about President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF's resolve not to focus on electioneering on the eve of the polls.

The opposition parties are coming up with new electoral demands everyday, a move analysts on Wednesday said was a clear sign that they were scared of the elections.

President Mnangagwa's administration is at the moment seized with building the economy at a time MDC Alliance led by Mr Nelson Chamisa is going around the country holding rallies ahead of the elections.

The move has left opposition camp in sixes and sevens, with MDC senior official Mr Obert Gutu taking his frustration to Twitter this week.

"There are hardly any genuine electoral reforms that have been implemented. The issue of servers for the BVR computers still remains hazy and rather dodgy. ED appears calm, cool and confident on the eve of a make-or-break election that he can easily lose. Creepy!" he twitted. zanu-pf Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde Pupurai Togarepi said opposition parties were panicking because they were facing defeat.

"That's how people in that state behave, they look for trouble where there is no trouble," he said.

"Mnangagwa is a man of peace and he knows there is no need to rush or electioneer. If you do that like what the MDC Alliance is doing, it means you won't stand any chance.

"As for Gutu, he is a reject who should be licking the wounds of his political demise. His parroting will not change the election results, zanu-pf will win hands down."

Political analyst Mr Goodwine Mureriwa said President Mnangagwa was a seasoned politician who knew that bread and butter issues mattered to Zimbabweans.

"He is mature and collected, that is the nature of the man, hence at a time opposition parties expect him to be electioneering, he is busy focusing on serious issues that impact on the people," he said.

"Everybody locally and globally, including Chamisa, has admired him because he has shown that he has good intentions for the country.

"He tries to accommodate everyone and now people can associate easily and you will see unique elections this year.

"He has been there before, masterminding elections for zanu-pf and he has the confidence that he will romp to victory. This is what he has openly said, he has nothing to hide. Electoral processes have been opened up and the country has gone for the technologically advanced Biometric Voter Registration system.

"It will be absurd for one to think that zanu-pf will rig the elections. Continuous demands by the opposition camp is a sign that they have entered the panic mode, which is not surprising as they always do that on the eve of elections."

Another analyst Mr Tinashe Tiki added: "They want to give an impression that elections won't be free and fair and worse still President Mnangagwa's calmness has left them troubled.

"They expected an open war with zanu-pf, but now the revolutionary party is busy concentrating on what matters most to the masses.

"They are employing a tired strategy of trying to build a case that elections won't be free and fair, which will not help."