The Zimbabwean government on Monday said it had taken adequate executive measures to ensure free, fair and credible elections set for July 30 this year.
The government made the statement in response to recent claims by U.S. senator Chris Coons that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration was making empty promises and deliberately delaying implementing key electoral reforms to disadvantage the opposition.
“First, government has guaranteed a peaceful poll, which is why the president has been unambiguous in his call for peace as well as taking the unexampled decision to meet with opposition parties once the Nomination Court has confirmed who is genuine and who is not,’’ Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba said.
Charamba said the new Zimbabwe government had taken steps to guarantee a credible poll which included inviting international observers and adequately resourcing the electoral body to smoothly run the elections.
He said the government would not interfere with the operations of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in running the poll.
“Maybe what is unclear to Sen. Coons is that ZEC is a constitutional creature whose independence is provided for in the law.
“Whether, when and how it release the voters’ roll and in what format, is for it to determine without undue influence from any player national or international, inside government or outside government,’’ Charamba said.
