Zimbabwe government rejects US claims on upcoming election

The Zimbabwe government said on Monday it has taken adequate executive measures to ensure free, fair and credible elections set for July 30.

The government statement came in response to the claims by US senator Chris Coons that President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration "was making empty promises and deliberately delaying implementing key electoral reforms to disadvantage the opposition", Xinhua news agency reported.

"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 opposition parties as the Nomination Court confirmed who is genuine and who is not," the Herald newspaper quoted Mnangagwa's spokesperson George Charamba as saying.

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 (ZEC).

"Maybe what is unclear to the Senator (Coons) is that ZEC is a constitutional creature whose independence is provided for in the law. Whether, when and how it releases 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.

--IANS

soni/mr