Polad comes up with draft Electoral reforms

Kwekwe (New Ziana)- The Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) has dismissed rumours that it is pushing for the postponement of the 2023 hamornized elections but has hinted that it is ceased with coming up with draft Electoral Reforms for the country to have free and fair elections.

Speaking during a Kwekwe Press Club meeting recently, opposition Coalition of Democrats (CODE) leader and Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) economic thematic committee chairperson, Trust Chikohora said all political partis in Polad will participate in the forthcoming general elections.

“We have never talked about postponing elections in Polad, infact we are talking about Electoral Reforms to ensure that we achieve an even better election in 2023, we achieve an election which will not be disputed, we achieve an election which can be validated even by various Observer Missions, and even by the generality of the people that we had a free and fair election,” said Chikohora.

“The rest of this talk is a figment of people’s imagination, its things that are peddled by those who want to discredit Polad and those that are actually afraid of Polad or those that feel threatened by Polad.”

Chikohora revealed that Polad has come up with draft Electoral Reforms and they are working with civic society and other electoral bodies to improve the current Electoral Act.

The process, he said, is being led by NCA leader and Polad chairperson on Governance and Legislative Agenda Professor Lovemore Madhuku.

“As Polad, we believe that we have to engage the relevant authorities to make sure that we actually have a new Electoral Act which will result in a more credible election in 2023 in which all the parties contesting should be able to accept what comes out of that election.

“In terms of all the amendments that we want done, all the new things that we want done it is contained in our position on the Electoral Act Bill that we are engaging government on,” he said.

Chikohora added: “We are currently engaging the Ministry of Justice so that they take on board our views regarding the new Elections Bill which should be able to go through parliament so that we have a new Electoral Act ready for the 2023 elections. Those are the Electoral Reforms that people have always been singing about.”

He said Polad wants the introduction of braile in voting for the visually impaired people, equal access to public media, fair coverage and enhancing the independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
New Ziana