Judge for yourself: Transcript of BBC Hardtalk interview with Nelson Chamisa

Sackur: Well, when you say that you do sound partisan, defensive and maybe even alarmist. I’m looking at independent analysts like Eldered Masunungure director of the Mass Public Opinion Institute in Harare he says “This election looks likely to be the freest, fairest and possibly most peaceful since 2000.”

Chamisa: Well he said it looks like. It’s his opinion and this is the beauty of a democracy when you have a diversity of opinions. That’s his view. Our view is that this election can be, has the potential to be a free and fair election, but we need to resolve some of the fundamental issues around how the election itself is going to be conducted. Whether or not the voters’ role has been audited, whether or not the processes that are supposed to be done in respect of the electoral amendment of the electoral amendment are respected. Just yesterday we were in Parliament we did not agree the opposition and the ruling party on the content, character and substance of that Electoral Act.

Sackur: The reason I talk about wisdom, responsibility and maturity is that clearly in Zimbabwe political temperatures can rise very quickly it. We have seen it happen in the past. It seems to me you and one of your associates in the opposition Tendai Biti have been stocking the flames in recent days. Tendai Biti said “unless we get a clear commitment from the seccurocrats” by which I think he means the ZANU-PF military nexus “unless we get clear commitment from them that they won’t interfere the election” he says will be a “sham” and you have said that if you don’t get your way on things like the ballot papers, you are gonna bring the election to a halt, so you are raising the temperature?

Chamisa: We are lowering the temperatures. In fact, Mr Mnangagwa is raising the temperature by continuing to be the old order. He has refused to part with the past, he has refused to be the face of the new order, in fact he has chosen to be a new face of the old order and that is our fundamental issue. If we are to be able to move forward, let us agree on how the election is going to be held. Wisdom is not when you have destroy the country, wisdom is not when you have problems that we are currently having, cash shortages, failing to deal with the economic issues…corruption like the one we have seen in terms of the Airways in Zimbabwe where there has been massive corruption under the tutelage and tutorship of President Mnangagwa.

Sackur: Well Emmerson Mnangagwa has a record and his record is that as soon as since he got in the power he talked about truth and reconciliation and passed measures to……

Chamisa: And what did he achieve?

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