Douglas Mwonzora, the president of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was elected as the spokesperson for the National Electoral Reforms Agenda (NERA) in Zimbabwe on January 18, 2024. NERA is a coalition of 25 political parties, including some that did not participate in the 2023 elections. Mwonzora explained that NERA aims to advocate for electoral reforms in the country, given Zimbabwe’s history of disputed elections. He said:
The aim of NERA is to spearhead electoral reforms in the country. Our country has a history of disputed elections, and we need to stop that. Membership of NERA is open to all political parties whether they participated in previous elections or not.
Mwonzora’s MDC party did not take part in the 2023 elections citing the need to implement electoral reforms. They specifically contested and lost the delimitation exercise, which Mwonzora believed was unfairly biased in favour of the ruling party, ZANU PF.
Previously, Nelson Chamisa, the current leader of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the main opposition party, had threatened to boycott elections until electoral reforms were implemented. He has, however, contested in all previous elections.
Electoral reforms were also recommended in the Mothlanthe Commission report, which investigated the August 1, 2018 shooting incident in Harare. During the incident, six civilians protesting against the delayed release of presidential election results were fatally shot by the police and army.
Zimbabwe’s history of disputed elections has strained its relations with Western powers and other countries. These entities now demand electoral reforms as a prerequisite for re-engagement. Notable elections, such as those in 2008, 2018, and 2023, have been marred by allegations of ZANU PF violence against opposition supporters and claims of election result manipulation in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Some political analysts argue that the ruling party, ZANU PF, lacks the motivation to implement electoral reforms as the current system benefits them.
There are concerns among some observers that the National Electoral Reforms Agenda in Zimbabwe may not achieve its intended objectives. They speculate that the hidden agenda might be to financially benefit its members rather than bringing about substantial reforms.