Secretary for Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Mr George Charamba yesterday told The Herald that demands by opposition parties to be involved in the ballot paper tendering process is unlawful since there is no law supporting that.
He also said the demands undermine the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)’s independence as provided for in the Constitution. Said Charamba:
They (opposition parties) must go back to the Zimbabwean people and say we have had enough of the independence of these constitutional bodies because we now want to participate in tenders. But to try and suggest that their involvement in tendering process is the test of freeness and fairness of elections is quite preposterous and this Government will err on the side of defending the constitutional inviolability of these commissions. Besides, there is no law that accommodates these demands by the opposition.
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