Maravi

MDC challenges Mugabe's electoral law amendment

MDC challenges Mugabe's electoral law amendment
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Thursday March 27, 2008 [11:59]

The opposition MDC has challenged President Robert Mugabe’s amendment of the electoral law in the Harare High Court. The amendment is meant to allow police officers inside polling stations to “assist” illiterate and disabled voters. And the MDC has said police should not stop people from celebrating if they felt that their candidate would win.

MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa, in an interview on Tuesday said their submission that the new law should be done away with was not just political rhetoric, but a real fear of manipulation of voters by the police.

“There is no doubt that they will abuse police officers and instead use their operatives and secret institutions to give instructions to people and manipulate the vote. They have done it before. This is why they are obsessed with that clause. But we are now telling people to resist any kind of machinations,” Chamisa said.

He said there was no way police would be objective considering that their Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri two weeks ago said British and American puppets would never rule Zimbabwe and that his force would vote for President Mugabe. Chamisa said MDC took the matter to the High Court on Tuesday.

“We have challenged that in the court of law. We filedour papers yesterday but we are doubtful that it will even be heard before the election. We are dealing with a rogue government here,” he said.
And MDC secretary general Tendai Biti said the new law summarised everything that was wrong with this Saturday’s elections in particular and Zimbabwe in general.

The regulation seeks to amend the electoral law, which was amended in January as a result of the SADC initiated dialogue. Biti said before the SADC dialogue, the law allowed policemen and members of the defence forces to assist ZEC and allowed policemen to be in polling stations but that during the SADC negotiations, the MDC position was of the view that the police had been abused and used systematically to generate intimidation and threats.

“Clearly, the re-enactment of the old law confirms the presence of mischief that we had dealt with in SADC dialogue. The mischief that police indeed used as a weapon of intimidation in the ZANU-PF power retention agenda,” he said. “It is unacceptable that Mugabe, a articipant in this election can change the rules of the game when the game is being played. Surely, one cannot be the player and referee at the same time.”

Biti said Mugabe had bulldozed parliament that amended the law in January and that he was clearly daring SADC, knowing that the regional bloc would not blink.

“Unfortunately, it does not appear that anyone in SADC would have the guts to stand up to Mugabe. It is obvious that the old-boys mentality which African institutions have been accused of generating still remains the operational matrix. It is therefore not a surprise that the SADC observer mission in Zimbabwe can state that the election will be free and fair despite the gross and evident electoral abuse,” said
Biti

And Chamisa said from what was obtaining in the field, there was no doubt that “the people” (MDC) would win this election.

“Nothing contrary to that will be in tandem with the Peoples’ wishes, anyway! So, why would they be stopping people from celebrating? Let the people celebrate if they feel their candidate has won. Why do they want to suppress peoples’ joy? They know that the people will this time win whatever, they do. They are trying to stop people from celebrating because they know what funny things they want to do in the end. The people will not allow that,” he said.

Police senior assistant commissioner Faustino Mazango,at a press briefing on Tuesday, said police would deal with a deadly blow any attempts by politicians to prematurely celebrate victory before formal announcements at command centres.

“We urge politicians not to excite members of the public when they have led at one time or the other in any part of the constituency. We should wait for the final result to know how we have faired in these elections through announcement by people authorised by law…These are not empty threats but words of advice to our brothers and sisters and indeed everyone, lest people fail to understand our actions and response to situations of anarchy,” said Mazango, who is the commander for the 2008 elections.

Mazango had also welcomed President Mugabe’s amendments of the electoral to allow police officers be present in polling stations to “assist” illiterate and disabled voters.

Mazango said he was surprised at the hysteria caused by the amendment when police were there to maintain order in any part of the country.

“Polling stations are part of Zimbabwe for as long as the elections are being held in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Labels: ELECTIONS, MDC, MUGABE

posted by MrK @ 4:56 PM