Full statement:
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
President Tsvangirai heads for Norton
President Morgan Tsvangirai will on Saturday head to Norton to thank the people for making a loud national statement against Zanu PF even in an unfair election riven with vote-buying and violence.
Notwithstanding the rigged Norton poll, President Tsvangirai will be in the town to thank the people for defying all odds and teaching the Zanu PF dictatorship a lesson that they cannot continue to take them for granted. The leopard has not changed its spots in terms of holding free and fair elections, but the MDC leader will tell thank the people for braving the heavy odds staked against their free expression.
The MDC leader will explain in detail the reforms that should be instituted to pave the way for the free expression of the people through the ballot. He will also urge all the people to register to vote when the exercise is opened afresh early next as promised by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
The MDC and other political parties under the banner of the National Election Reform Agenda are not participating in elections until and unless comprehensive electoral reforms are implemented in the country.
The MDC was watching with interest the by-election in Norton in order to test the sincerity of ZEC in managing free and fair polls in the country. What transpired in the Norton by-election only serves to confirm that Zimbabwe has a long way to go before holding free and fair elections.
The MDC and other parties will continue to push for comprehensive reforms ahead of the watershed polls in 2018. In the meantime, President Tsvangirai heads for Norton to thank the people for braving it eve when the electoral ground was not even.
Luke Tamborinyoka
Presidential Spokesperson and Director of Communications
Movement for Democratic Change
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