Gutu says Chamisa is bluffing

Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai vice-president Obert Gutu says his main rival Nelson Chamisa of the MDC Alliance is bluffing and may have taken leave of his senses.

Responding to calls by Chamisa for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to carry out several reforms or risk his pulling out of the elections now only 25 days away, Gutu said that the ZEC had the constitutional mandate to run elections in Zimbabwe.

“Anyone who dreams that SADC and the AU will come to run elections in Zimbabwe is obviously out of their mind, they would have taken leave of their senses,” Gutu said.

“ZEC is a Chapter 12 independent Constitutional Commission.  Section 239 of the Zimbabwe Constitution sets out ZEC’s functions.”

Section 239 of the constitution sets out the functions of the ZEC as follows:

(a) to prepare for, conduct and supervise—

(i) elections to the office of President and to Parliament;

(ii) elections to provincial and metropolitan councils and the governing bodies of local authorities;

(iii) elections of members of the National Council of Chiefs established by section 285; and

(iv) referendums;

and to ensure that those elections and referendums are conducted efficiently, freely, fairly, transparently and in accordance with the law;

(b) to supervise elections of the President of the Senate and the Speaker and to ensure that those elections are conducted efficiently and in accordance with the law;

(c) to register voters;

(d) to compile voters’ rolls and registers;

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