In a speech at a rally at Chibuku Stadium in Chitungwiza, Tsvangirai accused the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of changing the country’s electoral law, saying that vote counting has to be done at polling stations before they are transported to the district and command centres.
He said ZEC had revealed that vote counting would not be done at polling stations anymore.
He told supporters that the MDC- T had given the country’s electoral body until Monday to rectify the anomalies highlighted by political parties to contest the forthcoming polls to show that it was an independent, non- partisan body capable of handling the forthcoming elections.
He said: “Our choice, our vote, is in trouble because of ZEC. We gave the body until tomorrow (Monday) to prove that they are an independent and non partisan body because the way they handled the Komichi issue is not in sync with the responsibility of an independent body,” said Tsvangirai.
ZEC yesterday complained that Morgan Komichi, the MDC-T Deputy Chiarperson, had "misapplied himself" by publicly stating that he had been handed over a sealed envelope containing ballots that were in favour of his party that had been discovered in a trash bin.
Komichi was picked up by the police but later released in connection with his allegation.
“If they (ZEC) do not have the power to control the electoral process, they should just say so. If they are operating under the influence of underhand dealings, they should just say so,” he said.
Tsvangirai warned that his party would not allow the transportation of ballot boxes from polling stations before votes are counted.
“In 2002 and 2008, Mugabe stole our victory but now, we will defend our vote,” he said.
He complained that ZEC had not availed the voters’ roll for scrutiny by political parties.
“With only two days to the polls, even the presidential candidate (me), has not seen the voters’ roll.”
He accused Mugabe of being a puppet of the security sector, which has vowed not to recognise rule from parties other than Zanu (PF) and Mugabe.
“Mugabe is not his own man. In 2002 and 2008, when we beat him at elections, he at a point wanted to give up power, but that is when he was told that you are not going anywhere (by the security sector),” he said.
Post published in: News