CCC leader Nelson Chamisa wants the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) and SADC to supervise Zimbabwe’s next elections scheduled to be held in 2023 to avoid the possibility of a contested outcome.
Addressing a “Thank You” rally at Nyamhunga Stadium in Kariba on Sunday, Chamisa also urged his supporters to vote in large numbers to make vote rigging difficult. He said:
We expect reforms to be done before elections, but even if they refuse, go in numbers and vote to make rigging impossible.
I am talking to the UN, SADC [Southern African Development Community] and AU [African Union] because the UN should be there, polling agents at every polling station and all eyes should be on the election.
The results should be traceable from the polling station to the national command centre and even the installation of the winner must be transparent.
Presidential election results should also be announced from the polling station and not take days before they are announced to avoid manipulation.
We do not want a situation where presidential results are kept a secret. Presidential results should not take five to six days like what is happening at the moment.
Results must be displayed at polling stations just like council and parliamentary results.
Chamisa also criticised the manner in which Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) commissioners are appointed saying the process is open to manipulation. He said:
We are looking into the ZEC issue because Mnangagwa is staffing it with his colleagues’ relatives for fear of losing the elections, but we do not care even if he becomes the chairperson of ZEC.
We want to win this election, we want to change Zimbabwe, we want to win big as long as you vote in numbers.
Zimbabwe has had a history of contested elections since the formation of the MDC in 1999.
In the last election, Chamisa refused to concede defeat to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom he accused of stealing victory in connivance with ZEC.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, 27 August, the ZANU PF candidate Spencer Tshuma won the Gokwe-Kabuyuni constituency seat after polling 10 727 votes against CCC candidate Costin Muguti who garnered 4 800 votes.
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