Opposition political parties in Zimbabwe are divided over participating in by-elections slated for 09 December 2023, amid concerns that voter apathy is deepening in the southern African country.

The by-elections were triggered by the recalls initiated by the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC)’s self-proclaimed interim secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu.

The United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA) party led by Elisabeth Valerio said that it will not participate in the 9 December by-elections despite some opposition political parties such as ZAPU declaring that they will field candidates for the polls.

In a statement released this Tuesday, 07 November, UZA National Spokesperson Elvis Dzvene said the party prefers inclusive dialogue to address the country’s “political crisis” and the implementation of reforms. Said Dzvene:

The United Zimbabwe Alliance (UZA), will not participate in the December 9 by-elections.

This decision was reached after extensive consultations with our National Directorate, our members, and our supporters across the country.

We have also taken into account the views of other democratic forces, civil society organizations and the international community.

Our decision is a principled one, driven by the belief that real change must come through reforms that guarantee fairness, transparency and justice in the Zimbabwe electoral process.

We emphasize that this decision is not an attempt to shirk our democratic responsibilities, but a bold stand against a flawed system.

We urge other political actors, both major and minor, to consider joining in this collective effort to demand the change that Zimbabwe so desperately needs.

UZA said it has decided to boycott the by-elections because it does not have confidence in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that it will hold credible elections. Said Dzvene:

We do not have confidence in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which has proven to be biased and has not implemented any meaningful electoral reforms since the disputed 2023 harmonized elections.

The August 2023 elections were condemned by local and international observers as neither free nor fair, yet ZEC has not addressed the issues of intimidation, militarization of staff, lack of transparency and the shambolic voters’ rolls that marred the elections.

Dzvene said the party does not recognise the by-elections as legitimate due to the unconstitutional and undemocratic recall of CCC’s elected representatives.

The opposition party also said that participating in the by-elections will not advance the cause of democracy and the welfare of Zimbabweans.