Exiled former Zimbabwean Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Professor Jonathan Moyo has insinuated that political and electoral reforms in Zimbabwe are useless.
Moyo speaks as the opposition and the international community are calling for the implementation of electoral and political reforms in the country.
Posting on social media this Saturday, Moyo suggested that state security officials are likely to disregard any electoral and political reforms hence the need to for security sector reforms. He said:
It’s nuts to keep calling for electoral & political reforms in Zim. The 2013 Constitution ushered in far-reaching electoral & political reforms. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) took those reforms to the barracks in Nov 2017, locked them up & threw away the keys. Deal with #ZDF!
Electoral and political reforms are considered to be essential for the enhancement of democracy of any society as they promote inclusion and participation of the citizenry.
Some observers say Zimbabwe’s previously held elections did not meet the minimum requirements of free and fair polls hence uncredible.
In 2019, Nelson Chamisa who leads the opposition MDC Alliance vowed not to participate in the anticipated 2023 elections if electoral reforms recommended by 2018 election observers have not been implemented.
Security sector reform was one of the MDC’s targets since its formation in 1999 but the party seems to have surrendered.