Chamisa says it's 'impossible' to run a political party in Zimbabwe

Nelson Chamisa, the former leader of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, has described the challenges of running a political party in Zimbabwe's dictatorial environment as nearly insurmountable.

While the ZANU-PF-led government ensures elections occur on schedule, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) frequently bans most opposition political rallies, and political activists are sometimes arrested on questionable charges.

The police regularly invoke the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPO), which governs public gatherings, processions, and demonstrations, to ban opposition rallies.

Additionally, the opposition operates amidst politically motivated violence, a biased judiciary, and state-controlled media heavily favoring the ruling party.

Posting on X, Chamisa stated that leading and running a political party without adequate financial resources is extremely difficult.

As the former ICT Minister in the Government of National Unity (GNU), Chamisa noted that the widespread poverty afflicting the Zimbabwean population creates an extremely challenging context for political organizations to function and mobilize support.

Chamisa also highlighted that when some individuals are elected as Members of Parliament or Councillors, they do not serve the citizens but exploit these positions for personal gain, mistaking representation and deployment for employment opportunities.

Despite these daunting circumstances, Chamisa emphasized that serving the people requires great sacrifice and expressed his determination to persevere.

THE HAZARDS OF A DICTATORSHIP…It's not easy to lead and run a political party in a dictatorship especially without a budget and in an environment of extreme poverty. It's even worse when this is all in a context massive unemployment where some occupy public office…

— nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa) July 30, 2024