Zimbabwe is not ready for a free, fair and credible election

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition director Blessing  Vava has said that the country is far from being ready  for a free, fair and credible election this year amid a wave of political; that has taken place over the last few months.

Speaking during an interview with CapeTalk,Vava said that the continued persecution of opposition figures and activists was proof that the country was not prepared for the 2023 plebiscite.

”If you look at the prevailing conditions, they do not point to a country ready for free, fair and credible elections. The violence that  we  witnessed during the by-elections in areas recently,the violence  that we witnessed recently in November in Insiza and the continuous arrest of opposition activists ,for instance  Job Sikhala  who has been languishing in remand prison without trial casts doubt on the credibility of the upcoming elections,”he said

Zimbabwe is set to go for polls later this year to elect a new President and Members of the house of assembly  and  the run up to the plebiscite has been marred by political violence targeting oppostion figures.

The state owned media has also been biased in its coverage of national issues,covering the MDC led by Diuglas Mwonzora while shunning the Citizens Coalition for Change,a move which Vava said was retrogressive.

“The state broadcaster has been churning out propaganda,whereas this is a state broadcaster,we also  see the state newspaper the Herald churning out propaganda that is aligned to the ruling party and that is retogressive,”he said

The CIZC director also decried the weaponisation of the law which has seen the opposition being denied the right to hold political gatherings by  the government,adding that the government was reluctant to create a level play ground for all political players.

”There is no seriousness in Zimbabwe in creating or achieving conditions which are conducive for the conduct of a democratic  and credible election so what we are seeing now is a playing field that is tilted towards the ruling party.

As im speaking the oppostion is not allowed to organise campaign rallies im sure by the better half of last,there were several applications by the oppostion to conduct victory celebrations but the police has been denying those gathering but we have seen ZANU PF holding meetings wherever and whenever they want,”he added.