The Sunday Mail
Chief Reporter —
The United Nations Development Programme’s political department is working with local opposition groups to hijack the outcome of Zimbabwe’s 2018 harmonised elections, it has emerged.
Senior State officials told The Sunday Mail that the department was behind the National Electoral Reform Agenda’s planned protests to push for the UNDP unit to run the elections.
In 2016, Zimbabwe and the UNDP signed an agreement under which the latter would procure biometric voter registration kits for the elections.
However, sources said, Government cancelled that deal and resolved to go it alone after gathering evidence that the UNDP political department was planning to declare the West’s preferred candidate the poll winner regardless of what the actual vote outcome would be.
It is believed that the same tactic was used in Cote d’Ivoire in 2010 where Mr Laurent Gbagbo lost to opposition leader Mr Alassane Outtara in the UN-supervised presidential election.
UN communications specialist for Zimbabwe Mr Sirak Gebrehiwot could not be reached for comment on his mobile phone yesterday, but a reliable source said: “Soon after Government decided to buy the kits, the leader of the UNDP flew to New York to solve the equation and they decided that there would be three scenarios.
“Firstly, Government proceeds to buy the kits. The second scenario was to continue agitating for the UNDP to buy the kits. This was going to be done by enlisting opposition parties for that purpose. The third scenario was to attack the process itself.
“Government got wind of this plan which has similar makings of what happened in Ivory Coast. The idea was to make noise over the process and then get the international community to intervene.”
Another added: “The attack on the process involved roping in opposition elements, and that is why we had your so-called Nera’s ‘protests’ in Harare last week. It was part of that bigger scheme, really, to have the UNDP political department in the thick of things so that they can call the shots come 2018.”
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu insisted yesterday that they wanted the UNDP to procure the kits.
“The MDC remains determined to ensure procurement of BVR kits is transparent. The process can never be legitimate and credible if shadowy companies are permitted to control acquisition of this equipment.
“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission should carry out its constitutional mandate of organising and running free and fair elections that can pass the test of legitimacy.”
But Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said opposition elements under Nera had picked the commission as “a soft target” and was trying to draw it into matters outside its mandate.
She said there was nothing wrong with Government procuring the kits, adding that MDC-T was being hypocritical by attacking a process it helped create.
“We are now being seen as a soft target. That is why I called for a walkout of (our meeting with political parties in Harare last week) because we were being abused. The issues that they were raising are not the mandate of Zec, but of Government,” she said.
“All electoral processes must be funded by Government. Our first port of call when we want anything should be the Government. In this instance, we went to Government saying we are going the BVR way and we need assistance to procure the kits.
“At that time, the indications were that Government would not have been able to raise the kind of money required. We then approached our co-operating partners, and UNDP said they could assist.”
Justice Makarau went on: “Government then decided to take over the process because they bear the responsibility of funding our operations. We cannot say no to them. Once they said they had found the money, we simply then talked to UNDP to let them know that Government had found the money.
“Where the money comes from is not our call. I can’t speak on behalf of Government because the Clarion Call has always been to fund Zec adequately. So, I think Government is answering to that. Government should fund us and fund us adequately. When people protest over a decision that we have no control over … that is the abuse that we are talking about.”
