THE Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said yesterday that it will boycott elections unless President Mugabe abides by a charter on holding democratic polls adopted at a recent summit of Southern African leaders.
“The MDC will not participate in elections until the political space has been opened up and a legal, institutional and administrative framework for elections has been established,” Paul Themba Nyathi, the party spokesman, said.
Leaders of the 13-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) approved in Mauritius this month a new charter spelling out guidelines for free and fair elections. The charter adopted ahead of the March parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe provides for freedom of association, access to the media, curbs against police harrassment and opening up elections to foreign monitors.
“We are talking about giving the people of Zimbabwe a new beginning in terms of their participation in electoral processes that are free and fair and the spirit of Mauritius gives them exactly that,” Mr Nyathi said. “Zimbabwe is in breach of virtually all of the protocols that were agreed at SADC.”
The MDC says that the guidelines for holding elections resemble those which it has recommended.
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The opposition party’s demands include the repealing of strict security and press laws, and the legalising of Zimbabwe’s most popular newspaper, The Daily News. It is also pushing for the disbanding of youth militia groups, which it says are used to intimidate its supporters, and allowing the party access to state media.
The MDC claims that it was recently barred from holding rallies in rural districts. (AFP)