Clayton Shereni
The opposition MDC-T (Khupe faction)’s losing parliamentary candidate for Gutu North constituency, Admire Wakurawarerwa has said his defeat by Zanu PF’s Yeukai Simbanegavi was a result of a playing field that was heavily tilted against him.
He accused Zanu PF of vote-buying, saying the ruling party fielded unaccredited agents who were brazenly campaigning for their masters on election day.
"At Nharira Primary School, we had a case of a woman who claimed to be a Zanu PF agent yet she failed to produce her accreditation and we reported her to the police. Some voters were intimidated and reminded of the 2008 atrocities which claimed a lot of lives.
Wakurawarerwa also said the ruling party wantonly breached other rules set by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) in accordance with the Electoral Act.
"The whole process was not fair especially in Gutu North where Zanu PF held a road show on a Sunday, just a day before election day yet Zec had ordered that no campaigning should be done on the day," said Wakurawarerwa.
Efforts to get a comment from Masvingo Provincial Elections Officer Zex Pudurai (PEO) were fruitless as he was said to be in Harare on national business.
The electoral process has received wide criticism from many losing opposition candidates who claim Zanu PF went into the elections with an unfair advantage over them.
In its preliminary report, the European Union election observer mission cited the ruling part’s abuse of State resources and the biased State media as factors that negatively impacted on the credibility of the harmonised elections.local
