In her opening remarks at the national multi-stakeholder post-election conference in Nyanga yesterday, Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba said the commission was now conducting an introspection of the 2018 election cycle to assess its shortcomings and seek ways to improve its management of future polls.

Opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s bid to overturn President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s victory in last year’s polls on grounds of legitimacy has been overtaken by events because the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has effectively put the 2018 electoral cycle to bed, with preparations for the next round of elections gaining momentum.

“The main thrust of this conference is to introspect on the 2018 harmonised elections as the commission seeks to formally bring the 2018 election cycle to its logical conclusion in preparation for the 2019-2023 election cycle,” she said.

Chamisa has insisted that he won the general elections despite losing a Constitutional Court challenge and often calls Mnangagwa an illegitimate President. He also wants political dialogue to address the question of Mnangagwa’s legitimacy.

Chigumba said the commission was aware of the various concerns raised by political parties and civil society groups, adding that the conference would strive to address them. “Key objectives are to assess the adequacy challenges of the legal framework supporting various stages of the 2018 harmonised electoral process and recommend improvements to it,” she said.

-Online