The Government has said opposition political parties in the country are reluctant to utilise free airtime that the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) provides them to reach out to potential voters, reported New Ziana.
Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Kindness Paradza said that ZBC has slots such as the Ballot, the Candidate, the Manifesto, and the Constituency Indaba for all political parties on all four radio channels and television stations to deliver their messages free of charge.
Paradza made the remarks while addressing diplomatic missions accredited to Zimbabwe and observer groups on the country’s preparedness for the upcoming harmonised elections. He said:
However, let me tell you esteemed ambassadors and also observers, most of the opposition political parties don’t want to utilise this free airtime, they refuse.
I am sure you ambassadors have watched television news and where reporters are saying please we need to interview you the parliamentary candidates, local authority candidates, come and say out your manifesto, but they have refused some of them, and only a few have come forward.
Paradza urged opposition political parties to come forward and utilise the free airtime as ZBC was a national and public broadcaster.
He also claimed that through its radio and television stations, Zimpapers had also come up with free airtime slots for the benefit of all political parties.
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