CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa has shot down suggestions of his party boycotting this year’s general elections despite irregularities tainting the plebiscite.
This year’s general election has been marred by controversy which the opposition has blamed on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
In most urban areas across the country voting materials arrived late at most polling stations with elections overflowing into the following day (August 24).
Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa addresses the media in Harare
Addressing the media in Harare, Chamisa said Zanu PF had a part in the chaos that rocked most polling stations.
“When somebody spends the whole day in the queue and you just wake up and say to hell with that. We cannot do that. We must respect the dignity of that vote. We must respect the sacrifices of the elderly, of the young.
“We are peacemakers and would like to give democracy and peace a chance. In terms of the credibility, you can see that Mr Mnangagwa was planning all along to nullify the credibility of the vote,” said Chamisa.
In polling stations that NewZimbabwe.com visited in Harare voting materials arrived late in the night with some ballot papers running out in Kuwadzana while people were still in the queues.
Chaos ensued in Kambuzuma at Rukudzo Primary School as voters demanded to cast their votes.
In Warren Park, tempers flared with the electorate frustrated by the conduct of ZEC officials who allowed a small number of people into the polling stations.
This election marks the first time Zimbabweans have voted in the night as a result of hiccups in the electoral system.
“They have plunged this country into crisis. Starting from tomorrow there is no government in Zimbabwe. Mr Mnangagwa can claim but he is not the president in Zimbabwe. The country is being driven into a crisis, a political crisis,” said Chamisa further.
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