Opposition supporters in Zimbabwe on Wednesday staged a street protest in the capital Harare demanding electoral reforms.
The supporters mobilized by their leaders marched to the independent election agency as they hope the reforms they are demanding could deliver credible vote.
Zimbabweans will be heading to the polls this month to choose a new President and MPs. The elections are crucial being the first in a post-Mugabe era.
This is the second time the opposition is agitating through a major protest demanding reforms.
Costa Machingauta, an MDC member of parliament told the crowd that “ZANU-PF is shamelessly trying to steal the election by using ZEC.”
Last week Zimbabwe’s main opposition party threatened to boycott this month’s elections due to disagreements over ballot papers.
Nelson Chamisa who leads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says there will be no election if there is no agreement on ballot papers.
He wants the agreement reached between the independent election agency and political parties.
What does MDC want?
Chamisa says there must be a deal on how to design, print and store ballot papers.
His party has rejected the papers being printed by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Chamisa told journalists last week that “We do not and will not accept the current ballot paper that has been printed without our participation”.
“There will be no election, there can’t be an election. Choose what to call it, but there can’t be an election,” he added when asked whether boycotting the poll is an option.
Electoral body’s reaction
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission boss Priscilla Chigumba says her outfit will not succumb to pressure from the opposition.
She said in a statement that only her commission is empowered to deal with the issue of ballot papers. It described the oppositions demands as an attempt to usurp the commissions powers.
The Presidential and parliamentary ballots are being produced by Zimbabwe’s central bank’s printing arm Fidelity Printers.
Source: Africafeeds.com
