MDC Alliance in a fight they will not win

The threats to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) by Nelson Chamisa, leader of the MDC Alliance is indeed unfortunate. They are a futile attempt by a player to influence the outcome of the election. Let us be clear, ZEC as an institution can only do what the laws of the country permit it to do. The MDC Alliance are through the use of threats, insults and outright intimidation of personalities in ZEC, seeking to influence ZEC to allow changes administratively to the electoral act, changes they failed to get through the legislature.

It is not a secret that the MDC made far reaching proposals to changes to the electoral act through parliament. Some of the changes were accepted and amendments were made. Equally some of the proposed amendments were rejected and as a party that didn't command a majority they could not force them through. Today, through intimidation, name calling and other extra-legal means, they are pilling pressure on the ZEC chairperson to get her to administratively make changes they failed to get through parliament. This is illegal. They are in all essence attempting to subvert the constitution of the country to suit their own narrow selfish goals.

In an election that has seen the invitation of international observers, we see a single political party out of the fifty-five political parties making demands that are not in sync with the law. Nelson Chamisa is now being stoking fire by making threats and spoiling for a deadly fight with not just ZEC but law enforcement agencies- even children are aware that the presence of visitors in the home does not protect them from rules and consequences even before the visitors are gone. In essence, they are breaking the law and the election observers will unfortunately be forced to observe the law taking its course.

There is also an interesting new courage found by Professor Jonathan Moyo and his acolytes including people like Edmund Kudzai who are targeting ZEC in particular Justice Chigumba in support of the MDC Alliance in interfering with ZEC's Independence. Apart from knowing that they are asking ZEC to conduct elections in ways that they want - Prof Jonathan is now using the Tsikamutanda approach to politics making allegations without evidence with the hope of casting aspersions on the characters running the elections.

They will not succeed. Nelson Chamisa states in his live broadcast "that he will meet ZEC chairperson Justice Chigumba" to iron out their differences. The question to ask is, why would Justice Chigumba meet one this one political party in the absence of the other fifty odd, especially after the barrage of insults the MDC Alliance subjected her to. Large mobs of MDC Alliance supporters stood outside her offices at ZEC and called her 'Hure' thousands of time whilst burning and trampling pictures of her. This is not exactly the actions of a person who seeks civility. Good luck with getting that meeting. Nelson Chamisa also proposes to meet Emmerson Mnangagwa. Again, the man he has been vilifying at his rallies with impunity, good luck to him getting that meeting as well.

Challenged by an international journalist at his live press conference about the limitations of his options considering the elections were two weeks away and hence the horse has already bolted, Chamisa struggled to answer. Here is a man with no more options but to dance to the tune that is already playing. In the absence of the death of one of the twenty-three presidential candidates, the elections will under the laws of the country go ahead whether the MDC Alliance dances or not. Irritations like Professor Jonathan Moyo and Edmund Kudzayi are exactly that, they are of no consequence at all. They will soon be relegated to the dustbin of history