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NCA position on June 27 elections run-off
National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)
July 07 , 2008

The National Constitutional Assembly has never viewed any election held under the current environment as an expression of the people's will due to the following points.

As far as the NCA is concerned there was no election on June 27 as African and world leaders remarked that the environment was not conducive to hold a free and fair election.

The NCA does not recognize the June 27 mock election as there was a single candidate, Robert Mugabe following the pulling out from the election by Morgan Tsvangirai a week before the scheduled in protest of his supporters who were being harassed by Robert Mugabe's followers and the partisan forces.

Describing the June 27 event as an election is not only a sham but also a joke.

It is under this background that the NCA joints the Pan African Parliament, African Union, group of elders (among them former SA president Nelson Mandela), COSATU, SACP and MDC in condemning the June 27 polls as 'sham'

In Zimbabwe today:

1. There is no democratic and people driven constitution in the country that is conducive to guide legitimate elections
2. The current electoral field is skewed in favour of the incumbency and in our case that is ZANU PF and Robert Mugabe
3. The environment leading up to the sham election was marred by organized state sponsored violence
4. The electoral playing field was prohibitive to both local and foreign observers and media was stopped from covering polls
5. Public media in Zimbabwe was biased toward the Mugabe presidency whilst undermining Morgan Tsvangirai's legitimacy after making the above assessment that the NCA feels AU, SADC and other international bodies should dismiss Mugabe's legitimacy and uphold the outcome of the March 29 polls that was generally freer than the current one.

The 29 March elections did not produce an outright winner but MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai garnered more votes among those who contested. It is after this election that saw ZANU PF and security forces bankrolling an orgy of violence meant to reverse the people's will that gave mandate to govern the state to the MDC.

The victory of the MDC in the 29 March polls was an expression of how desperate Zimbabwe is for a democratic change. The victory of the MDC shows how weak ZANU PF rigging machinery is and the lack of confidence Zimbabweans now have on Robert Mugabe.

The NCA wants to reiterate that as long as there is no new constitution that among others will limit executive powers of a president, redefine the role of the security forces and the judiciary and guarantee basic freedoms such as association and assembly, Zimbabwe cannot hold a free and fair election.

The NCA hereby makes a call for an urgent writing of a democratic people driven constitution by the people and for the people of Zimbabwe that will see fundamental rights among them right to life being restored.

Visit the NCA fact sheet

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