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Nera to pile pressure on Mugabe

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Opposition political parties under the National Electoral Reforms Agenda (Nera) banner plan to hold a rally next week to ratchet up pressure on President Robert Mugabe’s administration to implement poll reforms.

Opposition political parties under the National Electoral Reforms Agenda (Nera) banner plan to hold a rally next week to ratchet up pressure on President Robert Mugabe’s administration to implement poll reforms.

BY XOLISANI NCUBE

MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora
MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora

Nera legal secretary and MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora yesterday said the rally was meant to update supporters on the organisation’s 2017 agenda.

“It is going to be a feedback rally with all political leaders set to attend and address. The aim of the rally is to give our supporters the current position with regard to our fight for an even electoral playing field. We will have all political leaders under Nera addressing the rally,” Mwonzora said. Last week, Nera staged a mini-demonstration in Harare which was held under stringent conditions.

Police only allowed 2 500 people to gather at Freedom Square with only 10 representatives allowed to proceed to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) offices to present a petition.

Nera wants, among other things, Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau to resign and allow for United Nations and Sadc-supervised polls in 2018.

The organisation is also fighting government’s decision to take over the procurement of biometric voter registration (BVR) kits from the United Nations Development Programme.

Zec has indicated its willingness to use BVR, but Mugabe’s lieutenants in both government and Zanu PF have embarked on a campaign to criticise the move, as well as claim it would be an unnecessary expenditure.