Reports received from some parts of the country confirm that most of the political parties in the country, which includes the ruling party (ZANU PF) and the opposition political parties are implicated in vote buying and electoral corruption. The most prevalent are the following:
Dishing out free food and other goodies to the electorate: For instance in Kwekwe aspiring political candidates are giving free food to the electorate, which they never did before. The question that should be asked is why now, when the country is heading towards the 2018 General Elections? Why didn’t they give the food before?
Dishing out stands: Some political parties have promised to give stands to the youth. Again, similar questions should be asked on why these stands are being promised ahead of the 2018 General Elections.
There are many other cases of vote buying such as giving out money etc. What is indisputable is the fact that these unscrupulous politicians want to deceive the electorate into voting for them. This amounts to vote buying and should be condemned. Zimbabweans should be allowed to vote freely for candidates of their choice.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is urged to pronounce itself on whether the conduct of these politicians is proper. These politicians deserve to be disqualified.
Members of the public witnessing these incidents of vote buying and electoral corruption should send reports to: actsouthernafrica@gmail.com
Source: Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-Southern Africa)
