#ElectionsZW: ZEC must up its game says LEAD

Labour Economists African Democrats (LEAD) has urged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to up its game and provide reliable information on elections.

ZEC has been accused of failing to update even its website which is still showing information from the 2018 general elections.

LEAD is of the view that ZEC cannot expect citizens and stakeholders to rely on newspaper adverts and press statements in print media.

‘’Zimbabwe Electoral Commission must up its own game and create an environment that is conducive for a free and fair election.

‘’If they cannot provide reliable information timeously then they can never be expected to run and manage a credible election,’’ read the statement from LEAD.

The Linda Masarira led opposition party said while the debate over electoral reforms continues to dominate political debates, the ZEC becomes very key, adding that in as much as political realists appreciate that major issues of concern lie within the confines of the law, it must be noted that ZEC is proving to be unable to perform its mandate.

ZEC has failed basic communication

According to LEAD, it’s sad that ZEC is failing to basic communication and apprehend the government’s e-governance efforts.

‘’At a time when the government is preaching e-governance adoption in the spirit of fighting Covid-19, it’s insensible for a whole government-run commission to fail basic communication techniques.

‘’If one further resort to confirm updates by following Press Briefings and media notices in the print media one would be shocked to see about 10 wards publicly declared against a huge number as claimed by the ZEC Chair in the recent media briefing,’’ LEAD said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared by-elections for the 26^th of March this year.

According to the proclamation, there are about 28 National Assembly seats that are vacant that need to be filled.

ZEC also indicated that there are 117 local authority by-elections that will be conducted at the same time across the country. The vacancies arose from recalls by Zanu PF and MDC-T, as well as due to the death of some legislators and councillors since 2018.

#ElectionsZW: ZEC must up its game says LEAD