2023 Elections "Did Not Happen" - Chamisa
Former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa has not moved on from the disputed 2023 general elections in Zimbabwe.
Chamisa said that there should not be any discussion about the upcoming 2028 elections before the issues surrounding the previous polls have been properly addressed.
In a recent interview with NewsDay senior reporter Miriam Mangwaya, Chamisa unequivocally stated that the 2023 elections were “null” and invalid. He said:
2028 is not in the picture at all, because talking about 2028, presupposes that we had 2023.
But 2023 was a nullity, a void and, therefore, does not exist. There was nothing and nothing stands on nothing.
The fact that we have had challenges does not mean that it’s impossible or it’s not doable. We must continue fighting until we get it.
That’s why it’s a struggle. It is never a walk in the park. It’s not instant coffee or picking pumpkins.
That is where the problem is with those who choose to look at 2028 as a yardstick. It’s not. We must fix what is broken now.
Chamisa demanded electoral reforms that “produce proper leaders” to break the cycle of disputed elections in Zimbabwe. He said:
We must have proper processes that produce proper leaders. People must not be sceptical about proper electoral and national processes because ultimately, that is what we must fight to restore.
If the path is broken, you must fix it. Let me put it this way: if you eat a meal and you have stomach pains and diarrhoea, do you move around and say eating is not good?
No! Eating an improper meal is not good. But don’t condemn eating because you ate a bad meal.
The nation needs a new heart, a heart for God, a heart for love and a heart for peace.
Chamisa also condemned the ongoing arrests targetting opposition activists and pro-democracy campaigners saying the country has become “a jungle”. He said:
It’s part of the struggle. What we are seeing is a definition of dictatorship. The everyday lived realities of the citizens are indicative and instructive of the challenges we have on a daily basis.
Zimbabwe is such a jungle and being a Zimbabwean is a struggle. You struggle for everything: water, transport, roads, power outages, it’s a nightmare.
Yes, the crackdown, the arrests, the persecution is a reminder to those in office that they outstayed and overstayed their welcome.
But it’s also a reminder to all the citizens that the people who are in office are the wrong ones.
For the first time since the founding of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in 1999, Nelson Chamisa is not currently affiliated with any political party.
This comes after he resigned from CCC in January, a party he had helped establish just over two years ago.
Chamisa cited his decision to quit the CCC was due to the party being “contaminated” and “hijacked” by the ruling ZANU PF party.
He accused the government of undermining the CCC through the use of state institutions and by bribing party members to sabotage the opposition party from within.
More: Pindula News
