By Langton Ncube |The Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC has sensationally revealed that it was overzealous to enter the 2013 elections, when the coalition government had not aligned electoral laws with the new Constitution.
Tsvangirai who leads the once vibrant but now struggling opposition party was humiliated by President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party in the July 2013 elections.
The election ended the fragile five year Government of National Unity (GNU) had formed with the two MDC parties in 2008, after a contested Presidential run-off.
A fresh election was supposed to be held after the government had aligned all the electoral laws with the new constitution.
Tsvangirai it would emerge after his loss in 2013 had been warned by the region not to enter into elections before Mugabe had implemented the new charter.
In a statement Tuesday, MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said that they regretted the bad move.
“We have learnt the bitter lesson that the Zanu PF regime will always rig any election that is conducted without electoral reforms. Once beaten, twice shy,” he said.
Gutu whose party recently last week entered into a coalition with more than a dozen opposition parties working to unseat Mugabe’s Zanu PF party said, never again should the country holds elections without reforms being implemented.
“ Now is the time for all of us to draw a line in the sand and declare that never again should Zimbabwe hold elections that are marred by violence, intimidation and all the other forms of vote rigging that have become the hallmark of our political and electoral environment,” he said.
“This is the time for all concerned stakeholders to put their heads together and fight for the creation of an environment that is conducive to the holding of elections that will easily pass the test of legitimacy.”
The grand coalition of opposition political parties which is on Friday planning a massive demonstration against Mugabe among other issues, is demanding for the resignation of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chief Rita Makarau from heading the electoral body.
“ In the same breath, the Zanu PF regime should immediately desist from improperly interfering with the operations of ZEC. ZEC, as provided for by the Constitution of Zimbabwe, should be completely independent and should not bow down to the whims and fantasies of any politician, be it from the ruling party or from the opposition,” said Gutu.