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ZIMBABWE conducted its harmonised elections on Wednesday to select the country’s leaders for the next five years.
In Manicaland, voting was done in a peaceful and orderly environment.
Such peaceful and credible elections are essential for democracy to thrive and confers legitimacy on the elected officials.
As we wait for the final results, we remain cognisant of our past, especially the violent aftermath of the 2018 harmonised elections, which led to the loss of six lives.
The chaos and violence was highly regrettable, and must not recur in the current election cycle.
We call upon political leaders to desist from inflammatory utterances that could incite citizens to be violent as the nation awaits the announcement of the official results.
Political parties and their candidates must use their social media accounts to encourage citizens to patiently await the official results and refrain from violence.
The youths should resist all forms of political manipulation and shun violence.
Instead, they should promote peaceful participation in elections.
They should mitigate and counter risks of electoral violence.
Political parties should also desist from declaring unofficial results.
Only the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is empowered at law to announce the final election results.
General voter or civic education programmes should focus on violence prevention as well as preparing political parties and candidates for potential election loss.
Peace should reign in every heart, homestead, community, district and every corner of the province.
When there is no enemy within us, the enemies outside cannot hurt us.
Democracy is about voting, and we need to respect the majority vote.
The liberation war was waged for us to enjoy the right to vote.
Some lost limbs, and some families were orphaned for us to enjoy the right to vote.
We therefore need to use the vote wisely and peacefully.
The media must understand all the sensitivities surrounding the process because media reporting may make or break an election.
The media should report factually and play a role in creating a peaceful environment post elections.
The media should not rush to announce unofficial results and incite citizens. Such conduct can besmirch the credibility of election results and may throw the country into chaos.
The media should keep the citizens well informed on what is going on and should be driven by national interest as opposed partisan interests.
Even though the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and dissemination of information, this right has to be exercised responsibly and professionally.
Online Reporter