06/08/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
BOTSWANA'S demand for an audit of Zimbabwe's elections which it declared “unfair” is "thoroughly stupid", Zanu PF politburo member Jonathan Moyo said on Tuesday.
President Robert Mugabe secured another five years in office, extending his 33-year rule with a landslide 61 percent of the vote against Tsvangirai’s 34 percent while his Zanu PF party won a super majority in Parliament which allows it to change the country’s constitution.
Tsvangirai rejected the results and dismissed the vote as a “monumental fraud”.
But Regional powerhouse, South Africa, along with other countries such as Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania have endorsed the vote after observers from the African Union (AU) and the SADC regional grouping said the elections were “peaceful and free”.
However, Botswana joined Western countries in condemning the vote and demanding an audit.
In a statement, Botswana said its 80 poll observers concluded that conditions for free and fair elections were not met because of widespread irregularities.
The statement criticized the late release of voters’ lists, alleging it prevented fair scrutiny of the data.
In addition the observers noted irregularities over various forms of identification used to permit individuals to vote and “credible allegations” that many eligible voters were turned away from polling stations.
The country’s foreign affairs minister Phandu Skelemani called for an independent audit of the election, saying it could help find ways to proceed in a sharply divided Zimbabwe.
But Moyo, who was defeated by a candidate of Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party, rejected the audit demand, describing it as "thoroughly stupid".
“This statement must be taken for what it is, it is thoroughly stupid. It is talking about a so-called independent audit which has no basis on any law nationally, regionally or internationally,” he told the Herald newspaper
“This is not a financial issue to be audited. The national elections were conducted in terms of Zimbabwean law and were declared free and fair by all international observers SADC and the AU included.
He (Botswana President Ian Khama) is the only bad apple and that raises questions about his integrity. Who is paying him? It also raises questions about allegations doing the rounds both in Botswana and Zimbabwe that he was a participant and sponsored the losers. He should show some shame. He is shameless.”
Labels: BOTSWANA, ELECTIONS 2013 (ZW), IAN KHAMA
posted by MrK @ 5:41 PM
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