Zimbabwe Opposition Writes To UN Explaining Decision To Boycott August 2023 Elections
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The People’s Patriotic Party, an opposition party in Zimbabwe, has informed the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, of their decision to boycott the country’s upcoming harmonised elections on August 23, 2023. The party claims that the elections will not be conducted in a fair and transparent environment.
In their letter to Mr. Guterres, the People’s Patriotic Party leader, Zvaringeni Samuel Chasi, stated that the elections lack the representation of civil rights and the general masses of Zimbabwe. The party believes that the current situation in Zimbabwe is similar to the period between 1979 and 1980, when the United Nations Security Council passed resolutions 445 and 448.
The party claims that their independence lies in the hands of their forefathers and ancestors who fought for the liberation of Zimbabwe, but their aspirations have never been realised. The People’s Patriotic Party accuses the ruling party, ZANU PF, of looting the country’s resources and implementing genocidal massacres against citizens.
The letter also highlights the atrocities committed by ZANU PF, including the Gukurahundi massacres of 1983-87, which resulted in the deaths of “±40,000 people.” The party claims that ZANU PF’s junta regime has forced millions of citizens into exile as refugees or asylum seekers.
In a letter seen by Pindula News, the People’s Patriotic Party justifies their decision to boycott the elections as a stand against the terrorist actions of ZANU PF. They believe that participating in fraudulent elections would be a betrayal of the citizens of Zimbabwe. Reads the letter in part:
The following grounds listed below and brought to your attention, sustain the resolution in boycotting the puppet elections;
1] The Electoral Reforms (attached)we demanded and castigated for were considered to be ‘redundant’ where as power being deprived from citizens we proposed public consultations, gazette and referendum being a common denominator for all the stakeholders.
2] Dictatorship is at reign whereas harmonised elections were introduced as monopoly. Its paramount importance to hold disbanded elections with consideration given to the humanitarian crisis upon the citizens of Zimbabwe and failure to hold peaceful and free elections.To curb violence, conflicts and disputes separate Presidential Elections were key for 2023 together with and Abolishment of Senate serving a derail in impeachment process.
3] The Monthlanthe Commission of Inquiry on 1 August 2018 with its reports and recommendations led by Former South African President as arbitrator were nullified with zero implementations regardless of military shootings inflicted upon defenceless citizens who lost their lives. No guarantee is assured to citizens’ safety if the elections are not Monitored and Supervised by the UN.
4]Despite opposition winning resoundingly 2008/2018, the Judiciary is captured with incentives such that petitions referred to court are lost with endorsements from Sadc and AU such they sympathise with their fellow revolutionary parties in fraudulent elections as they share the same ideology, philosophy and doctrine.
5]Delimitation Boundaries were conducted by Zanupf not Zimbabwe Electoral Commission alongside its Joint Operations Command aimed at segregation and annihilation of opposition command centres with amnesia to the electorate.
6] The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is partisan not independent with appointed immediate family members directly biologically related to Zanupf presidium aimed to manipulate election results. The same officials participate in active politics in violation of constitution of Zimbabwe witnesseth by their engagement in primary elections and functions of #Zanupf.
7].Voters Roll is systematically controlled not publicly availed and released in time to all stakeholders with captured biometric data being used by #Zanupf in violation of constitution in their internal primary and scheduled elections with estimated ±40% Registered Electorate revoked on Voters Role by virtue of clause 5.
8] Selective application of the law with harsh penalties, incarceration of opposition leaders and activists without bail or trial and victimisation of their immediate family members targeted to instil fear to opposition is not resolved with particular mention to Job Sikhala together with Jacob Ngarivhume lest we forget the youthful generation in detention centres.
9] Nomination Court fees was autocratically inflated aimed in reduction of opposition parties and candidates not eligible for political parties funding with only ±1% or equilibrium of at least #3 Political Organisations with potential access to funding and fielding of required threshold of candidates thus also directly reducing the number of participants, observers, agents from other parties in the final ballot counting routine. Balance of ±120 political parties face risk of extinction based on their ideology and principles
10] In reference to Nomination Court process, stipulated in clause 9, the technicality of less than #3 parties fielding candidates is aimed to disqualify opposition candidates, in this particular case the Citizens Coalition Change who face a threat on infiltration and duplication of candidates by bogus Forever Association of Zimbabwe (hereinafter referenced as FAZ a military affiliate aimed to manipulate electoral system to favour of Zanupf)
11]The Draconian measures in clause 5, 9 and 10 indicate falsified victory by Zanupf aim to technically knockout opposition representative of national interests with a proclamation of being unopposed in selected constituencies and boundaries, equivalent of estimated ±33.3 % both local authority and parliament from vacant seats.
12] The fixed 2nd day of October 2023 runoff date in the event of no winner 23rd August 2023 is a decoy and theatricality in congruent to nomination court filings which were calculated at misleading stakeholders with reference to clause 11 where propaganda with state assisted media in the course to the final nail in the coffin against democracy the cartel junta remains with odds of ± 20 % to acquire the mandate 51% thresh hold to maintaining the reign of judges.
13] The Patriotic Bill introduced now snatches the freedom of speech citing zero tolerance of opposition and any utterances from such being treason with indefinite imprisonment and an augmentation of dictatorship depriving citizens their rights to in gathering and social media contributions.
14]Headman and Chiefs are being instructed to force all their kraals to vote for Zanupf or else will face eviction in their communal lands which is unconstitutional with a vote pattern targeted from each polling station with after spiced effects of delimitation exercised in clause 5.
15] an estimated personnel of ±12 000 Joint Operations Command is in full deployment nationwide to the core of grassroots polling stations, courtesy by aide of FAZ in clause 10 with objective of coordinating the election in partisan manner to influence election result and outcome in favour of #ZanuPf from the 210 constituences,1970 wards and approximate *10 970 polling stations not convincingly being publicly availed with only non-existent stations in some instances and duplications.
16] In the Presidential Bid for 2023,the delimitation in clause 5 and use of voters roll in clause 7 brings to gravitas the explanatory in clause 15 where as the voter turnout with most citizens deprived of Diaspora vote reducing to estimated ± 40 % with manipulated results whereas from the fixed polling stations designed to hold maximum of 1500 voters ,the FAZ expertise aims to achieve 200 – 800 votes drawn from urban to rural votes with aide of captured rural leadership cited in clause 14,thus {ie} 200 x 10970 polling station based voters can induce and secure a 2,2 mil votes / ±60% victory for #ZanuPf fraudulently in a low voter turnout with such figures inflated in uncontested Zanupf ‘stronghold’ areas as stratagem.
17] In the event opposition candidates are succefully nominated and approved to stand in the courts, a landslide victory by in this case will be on the cards for Citizens Coalition Change the only representative of potential opposition and mantle of democracy in the scheduled elections which may not be a favourable result for Zanupf ready to unleash violence at all costs despite never having faced retaliation or rebellion. Therefore its tantamount for the United Nations to supervise these fraudulent elections without freedom of movement to campaign and media.
18] There is high risk to SADC Refugees/Asylum beneficiaries being deprived of their universal rights to be driven home against their will to vote in a fixed election which does not alter a revolution but retains the junta regime while citizens are used as bait in xenophobic attacks. In as much as Zimbabweans wish to be in their native land, the environment in their home country is not lucrative of human rights.
19] Various sectors from health, education, energy, roads, water and sanitation could have been prioritised with equipment whereas an estimated total ± USD 10 Billion is being used by political stakeholders in a hyperinflation country with ordinary citizens penniless and succumbing to poverty whilst politically funding is accessible in the scramble for power.
20] The objectives, philosophy and cardinal pillars of People’s Patriotic Party outlined in its constitution are not represented in this primitive election which does not value its citizens or founding principles where one party solely determines the fact of 15 million citizens .Patriotism is not pledging allegiance to #Zanupf but the love of one’s country with its inhabitants than taking citizens as lifeless objects disguised as voting statistic in personal quests.
21] Political Dialogue within the boundaries of Zimbabwe has beyond unreasonable doubt proved deceptive to citizens with Unity Accords-1987 ,Global Political Agreements- 2008, Monthlathe Commission- 2018. The Crisis in Zimbabwe is beyond any local or regional negotiations with exclusion of perhaps Lancaster House Agreements of 2023 but imperative to value the traditions and customs of Zimbabwe as its sole custodians are the chief curators on this subject having risen to liberate their kingdom, not pens and guns used by one regime past 43 years.
Boycott of the Elections does not signify failure to defend the Vote of 2023 but the lack of environment that allows fairness and transparency. These freedoms we will fight, side by side, throughout our lives until we have won our liberty!
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