SAVE Zimbabwe Coalition demands elections by 2008

By Tererai Karimakwenda
20 December, 2006

A coalition of many influential civic organisations and political movements under the Save Zimbabwe Coalition held a press conference in Harare on Wednesday where they announced they had resolved to resist efforts by the ruling party to extend Robert Mugabe’s term of office. This was in response to reports that ZANU-PF delegates had voted to keep their leader in power for another 2 years, thereby postponing the 2008 Presidential election to 2010 when Parliamentary Elections are due.

Save Zimbabwe denounced this intended action saying it was undemocratic and it infringed on the rights of all Zimbabwean citizens to elect leaders of their choice. The group vowed to remain united and demanded elections no later than 2008 under a new people driven constitution. At least 22 organisations belong to this coalition. Among them are the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Zimbabwe Election Support Network, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association, Zimbabwe National Pastors Conference and the Zimbabwe National Students Union.

Speaking to Gugulethu Moyo on the programme In The Balance, Dr Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) said he had attended the press conference and confirmed the Coalition had rejected ZANU-PF’s bid to hijack the 2008 elections. Madhuku said they would be unveiling activities aimed at preventing the postponement. This would include stayaways, demonstrations and other forms of peaceful resistance.

Asked why these would have an effect now when they have failed to stop Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF for the past few years, Madhuku said the situation was more much more critical now than before. He believes the fact that Mugabe not only destroyed the country and brutalised his own people but was now attempting to force an extension of his dreaded reign was enough to bring people out to participate in protests. Madhuku said: “I doubt they will remain uninterested.”

The Save Zimbabwe Coalition released a statement which said in part: “Save Zimbabwe Campaign will do all that is permissible in a democratic society to challenge the ruling Zanu PF party’s intentions to refuse the people of Zimbabwe the right to select leaders of their own choice under a democratic constitution dispensation.”