Elections Are Like Christmas, You Can’t Postpone Them – Mahere

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere has said political elites cannot delay the 2023 general elections.

Mahere also said CCC is opposed to the idea of postponing elections to form a Government of National Unity (GNU).

She was quoted by TellZim News as saying elections when done properly, are a true expression of the will of the people. Mahere said:

The constitutional requirement that elections be held every five years can’t be suspended by political elites who have no support from the citizens and are afraid of electoral loss.

ZANU PF and its proxies are terrified of how much support they have lost and are seeking to use whatever hare-brained plan they can think of to try and stop the process.

We call upon citizens to continue to demand adherence to the Constitution. Elections are like Christmas, you can’t postpone them as they will come whether or not you have new clothes.

Elections are a Constitutional non-negotiable. Citizens must be at the centre of all national processes.

We reject the notion of elite pacts or a Government of National Unity or whatever basis put forward.

Done properly, elections are a true expression of the will of the people and a total necessity in a democracy.

MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora recently challenged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)’s delimitation report.

Some commentators have suggested that the court challenge may lead to the deferment of the elections, which may lead to a GNU as the country prepares for another election.

In his court application, Mwonzora argued that the final delimitation report did not take into account the final results of the population census among other issues.

He argued that such issues will affect the credibility of the elections and thus his application seeks to ensure credible elections are held using a credible delimitation report.

Mwonzora goes on to say that in the event that elections are held with the report in question, the results can be easily challenged before a court of law and be invalidated.

A political analyst, Alexander Rusero dismissed claims that Mwonzora’s court challenge is a tactic by ZANU PF to postpone the general elections.

Since Mwonzora controversially took control of the MDC in 2020, critics claim he has been working with the ruling ZANU PF party to derail the “democratic project”. Said Rusero:

I think people have to understand why Mwonzora had taken the case to the court beyond the conspiracy theories doing circles that he is Mnangagwa’s blue-eyed boy intending to delay elections, that is a misleading statement and fallacy which is very costly to the opposition because ZANU PF wants those elections, they are not afraid and are prepared regardless of all such claims doing rounds in the misguided opposition rank and file.

Politics is the ability to determine outcomes and Mwonzora might be politically irrelevant in as much as the gravitas on the grassroots on the ground is concerned but you cannot take away his legal talents and prowess as he is one of the best lawyers produced in Zimbabwe since 1980.

So I am very sure he picked certain loopholes in the whole delimitation exercise that warrants court attention and that is why the case was given the green light that it warrants a hearing by the full bench.

There is really nothing to take away from that since it is not the first time a case has been granted such kind of attention by the courts.

Suppose Mwonzora wins that does not have a bearing on issues politically or at law to do with the proclamation of election dates or some possibilities of delaying an election.

The whole idea is, should he win because the case has been positively perceived to have some merits, ZEC can be directed to do certain things right and not necessarily to delay or stop the process of elections.

Elections are conducted when they are constitutionally due and not when a country is ready or ZEC has exposed certain incompetences or not political parties are ready. Elections are done within the prescribed time frame.

Rusero argued that the way ZANU PF has been campaigning does not indicate that the ruling party is considering the possibility of delaying elections.