President Tsvangirai briefed the leaders during the consultative forum on the expectations of the suffering Zimbabweans on the on-going talks as well as the party’s preparedness ahead of the election, which he said should be free and fair to avoid another predetermined outcome.
He said Zanu PF was yet to show its sincerity to the dialogue process, which was aimed at finding common ground between Zanu PF and the MDC in order to ensure a free and fair poll. As a confidence-building measure, the President said, the MDC expected tangible deliverables from Zanu PF such as the cessation of violence and political persecutions. All hostility must stop, the opposition must be allowed access to the public media while independent newspapers must be allowed to operate.
The MDC also expects the repeal of POSA to enable freedom of assembly and movement. The MDC wants a new voters roll, the reconstitution of a truly independent Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the provision of technical support for the running and conduct of elections. President Tsvangirai said these confidence-building measures also meant that there has to be international monitoring and observation of elections by SADC, the African Union and the United Nations. The MDC also wanted a transparent delimitation exercise and a transparent electoral management system.
Zanu PF’s insincerity had been exposed by the continued culture of violence as well as a murky voter registration and delimitation exercise by biased electoral bodies.
The forum expressed confidence and hope that the mediator, President Thabo Mbeki, would expedite the dialogue process and deliver on his promise that the next election would be free and fair and would not breed another contestable outcome.
President Tsvangirai said the MDC was aware that there were attempts to influence Africa, the European Union and the wider international community based on the so-called progress of the talks so far. He said it was too early to judge the process and it would be unfortunate if the forthcoming EU-Africa summit would  be used to score cheap diplomatic goals by prematurely rewarding President Robert Mugabe when he had not delivered on the ground. The success of the SADC process would only be measured by Mugabe’s ability to implement and deliver a free and fair electoral environment.
The forum also discussed the party’s preparations for the forthcoming election including the issues of logistics, capacity building programmes for the Elections Directorate and the selection of candidates in a harmonious manner.
President Tsvangirai said the party remained mindful of the fact that its participation in the election hinged on the electoral conditions. Only a free and fair poll, the President said, would solve the crisis of legitimacy and that would be a major step towards the resolution of the Zimbabwean crisis.
Zimbabweans want a new Zimbabwe and a new beginning. They want to start afresh. They want food, jobs, medicines and affordable education and health care systems. The MDC is the only viable alternative that will bring back the lost years and deliver a new Zimbabwe and a new beginning. – MDC Information and Publicity Department Â
Post published in: News