Let me remind our external partners that Zimbabwean elections are only monitored by Zimbabweans. Outsiders only observe our elections. It is a matter of respecting our sovereignty, and of complying with international practices.
Even as we invite the international community, we firmly believe our elections are African and for Africa.
Indeed, the forthcoming elections will be the Zimbabwean Chapter to African democracy.
The laws and protocols on which the polls will run are African. I believe Africa is well- equipped to mind its own elections and electoral processes; we have adequate national laws; Africa has developed adequate rules and electoral guidelines, whether as SADC, other sub-regional groupings, or as the AU.
To that end, we will place greater store and value on expectations, views and judgments of Africa, our mother continent. It has the prime mandate to peer-review us.
We reject as outrightly unfair and unjust any attempts to prejudge our polls; or to turn our polls into excuses or justification for preconceived hostile policies against our country.
Beyond our continent, friendly countries and groupings we relate to will also be invited. These have been our all-weather partners in development; they also invite us to observe their elections and/or elective events; they thus deserve a special place in our plebiscitary processes.
We undertake and commit ourselves to running clean, transparent, free and fair elections. Since 2018, many reforms have been made to our electoral laws and practices. We continue to review our whole electoral regime and ethos, to keep pace with expectations of our citizens, and to align ourselves to best practices.
Our Parliament is the forum for considering any such changes. Genuine reforms are always organic; they must issue from our own people, not from outsiders.
No violence will be tolerated, whether before, during or after elections. Every citizen must feel safe and secure enough to cast his or her vote, in an environment of total peace, which must abide long after the plebiscite.
No democracy, no development takes place under conditions of division, conflict or senseless contestation. Our country is in a hurry to meet its Vision 2030.
All parties and individuals wishing to compete for public office, at whatever level, will be allowed to chase their democratic dreams and desires. But these desires must be pursued in a lawful manner, and in total peace.
All parties and individuals will be free to canvass for support, without let or hindrance, once the election period begins. Only that way do we lay claim to a free, fair and democratic election we all aspire for.
Soon, certainly during this side of the year for my party ZANU-PF, internal party processes will play out in readiness for the harmonised elections. These range from filling local structures to filling national positions provided for by structures of respective parties.
Parties will also have primary elections through which prospective candidates for the 2023 Harmonised General Elections are selected.
Let me stress that while these processes are for parties to handle, national peace during those activities is owed all of us! Peace in your home, in your party is a building block to national peace.
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