CONSTITUTIONAL and Parliamentary Affairs minister Eric Matinenga on Wednesday told Parliament the country was in a minefield as events of the past weeks point to a disputed poll.
REPORT BY SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
Matinenga was answering to a question in the House of Assembly posed by Bulawayo South MP Eddie Cross who wanted to know the minister’s prediction of what might happen in the next weeks leading to harmonised elections.
“We are in a minefield in the sense that there are various constitutional procedures we have to meet in order to have free and fair elections which will not be contested,” Matinenga said.
“However, what we have experienced in the past weeks points to an election which is going to be contested — an election which is not going to produce the result of a free and fair one.”
Matinenga also disclosed that after Chinamasa was ordered at the Maputo Sadc summit to seek extension of the election date and the three parties in the inclusive government agreed to meet and discuss the matter last week at State House, but Zanu PF did not turn up.
“We had a meeting last Wednesday, but we did not come to an agreement and Chinamasa said he was going to respond on Friday last week. It was agreed a smaller committee should meet to discuss the contents of the affidavit to seek extension of the election date.
Come Friday, I was the first to go to State House at 10 am, but at 10.30 we were told the meeting would proceed at 12.00 because the President was not available. We went back at 12.00, but there was no appearance by representatives from Zanu PF,” he said.
