CCC Responds to Minister Murwira's Warning on Election Criticism

The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has issued a response to Foreign Affairs Acting Minister Amon Murwira after he warned the opposition party against criticizing the outcome of the August 23 and 24 elections. Murwira emphasized in his address to Africa Union Ambassadors Affiliated with Zimbabwe that the government would not tolerate any actions aimed at disturbing the peace under the guise of democratic political processes.

The opposition party had initially rejected the election results, claiming it was rigged in favour of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The party’s secretary for International Relations, Gladys Hlatshwayo, emphasized the party's commitment to democracy, respect for constitutionalism, and the rule of law, expressing their rejection of the manipulation of electoral processes. 

“We have always said that we will be the first ones to congratulate the winners if we lose in a free, fair, and credible election. We are democrats and a law-abiding organization that respects constitutionalism and the rule of law. What we have rejected without equivocation is the perennial manipulation of electoral processes by Zanu PF.”

Hlatshwayo further pointed out that the recent elections were fundamentally flawed and did not meet domestic, regional, and international standards governing democratic elections. This led to various election observer missions questioning the credibility of the poll results.

The party’s leader Nelson Chamisa has been urging the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to organise a rerun of the elections. Still, the SADC election observer mission's final report did not call for fresh polls. The CCC remains resolute in its stance on the election results.