African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has said disputes arising from the recently concluded elections should be addressed guided by the constitution and laws. Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration, Mbalula endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Presidency.
The Zanu PF leader got a 52.6% share of the votes, a win disputed by the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change which has called for a rerun arguing the plebiscite lacked transparency and credibility. The ANC secretary general said the South African ruling party sent election observers who reported that the polls were free, fair and credible.
“We participated in the observation of the election so we are not speaking from ivory towers, we talk what we know, we were here, our people were here, observed and went around,” Mbalula said.
“Zanu PF emerged victorious as declared by ZEC. There was opposition. It is strong but according to the elections and the outcome they have lost.
“But if there are disputes like I said we believe that is for Zimbabweans, guided by their own constitution and laws to settle their disputes,” he added.
Mbalula dismissed reports by some Election Observer Missions who said the polls were held under a restrictive environment. He further dismissed reports by the West saying Zimbabwe as a sovereign state should resolve its conflicts without external pressure.
“America cannot give anyone a lecture about elections. They themselves could not settle their own disputes, Donald Trump at some point if you remember not so long ago there was war there in Capitol Hill in USA so America is not a world policeman.
“They must respect Zimbabwe’s independence and they must lift sanctions against Zimbabwe they must respect the sovereignty of states.”
EOMs, African Union, SADC, Carter Centre, European Union and Commonwealth condemned the condition under which the elections were held. Among other concerns raised by the EOMs was ZEC’s centralization of key election processes such as regulation and supervision of the election process such as registering voters, drafting delimitation boundaries, designing, printing, and distributing ballot papers.
The EOMs also highlighted the weaponization of the law by Zanu PF to deny opposition rallies and gatherings while raising red flags over the arrest of some local observers. The run-up to the general election was characterised by repressive measures through the State apparatus which stifled civic space while clamping down on opposition gatherings.
According to the EOMs while incidents of political violence were fewer than in 2018, tensions and polarization increased in the months preceding the elections, as legislation restricting individuals’ freedoms of speech, movement, and association, such as the Criminal Law (Codification) Amendment Act, also known as the Patriotic Act, and the PVO Amendment Bill were introduced.
Source NewZimbabwe
