THE Ambrose Mutinhiri-led National Patriotic Front (NPF)
wants Southern African Development Community (Sadc) and the African Union (AU)
to deploy a peacekeeping force to monitor the situation ahead of the
forthcoming elections to ensure that soldiers are not deployed at polling
stations.
In a petition to the visiting Comesa Zimbabwe pre-election
observer mission, the party, which reportedly has the backing of former
President Robert Mugabe, said Zimbabwe was a de facto military State.
Party spokesperson Jealous Mawarire said the situation in
Zimbabwe was not conducive for conducting free and fair elections because it
was currently headed by the military as a result of the November 15, 2017
military coup.
“We submit to you that your observer team analyses the
implications of the holding of a free, fair, and credible elections by a
military government whose top officials, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga
and Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo are the face of the November 15,
2017 coup which was staged to avert an imminent Zanu PF electoral loss in the
forthcoming elections,” Mawarire said in the petition addressed to head of the
Comesa delegation, Ambassador Ashraf Gamaal Rashed.
Mawarire further said the basis of his party’s submission
was the document which he said has since been submitted, as part of a petition,
to the AU and Sadc which makes it clear that the reasons for the operation
which removed Mugabe from power “was to overthrow the constitutional order and
subvert the democratic process for the purpose of grabbing power and enshrining
it in the hands of the military.”
“The coup minutes submitted herein, make it clear that the
army, fronted by now Vice-President Chiwenga and minister Moyo staged the coup
for political and electoral reasons,” he said.
“It is trite that we make reference to the statements from
senior members of the current illegitimate government on how the military is
going to influence the next election. On Wednesday May 23, 2018, while your
team was already in the country, Finance deputy minister Terrence Mukupe was
quoted by a local daily newspaper saying ‘Army won’t let Chamisa rule’. A day
later, a regional paper, Masvingo Mirror, quoted one of President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s key allies, Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Josaya Hungwe
alleging that ‘Mnangagwa will shoot to stay in power’.”
Mawarire also said the statements by the senior government
officials came on the back of similar statements from other senior government
and Zanu PF officials who have not made it a secret that they would use the
army to “intimidate, coerce and mobilise the electorate to vote for Zanu PF”.
“It is NPF’s considered submission that the military state
in Zimbabwe cannot, by definition, hold free, fair and credible elections
simply because an illegitimate government born out of the subversion of the
Constitution cannot be entrusted with its upholding.” Newsday
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