Elections will be held this year, says Moyo

Zimbabwe to officers attending the Joint Command and Staff Course Number 25 at the Zimbabwe Staff College.
He said parties in the inclusive Government and ordinary Zimbabweans were in agreement that the power-sharing arrangement had become dysfunctional.
He said the coalition arrangement’s tenure had to be terminated. Prof Moyo said the only way to end the inclusive Government’s tenure would be holding elections this year and allow Zimbabwe to move forward.
“The inclusive Government is not working and even if you read the privately-owned newspapers that claim to be critical, all agree that the inclusive Government is not working, that it has become redundant and dysfunctional,” he said.
Prof Moyo said parties in the inclusive Government were incompatible like oil and water. “The question is how do we get rid of the dysfunctional Government? You get rid of it through an election, a democratic election. It is the only civilised thing to do.”
He added: “We cannot create a monster that holds the country to ransom saying if you get rid of it, you will create instability, in fact that is one reason why we should get rid of it (inclusive Government).”
On political reforms being called for by the MDC formations and some civic groups before elections, Prof Moyo said any political scientist or rational observer would acknowledge that no reforms could be implemented without elections.
“There are some who are saying reforms first and after reforms then elections. We see that in newspapers and other media platforms. This is a fallacy and an unacceptable fallacy to say you must have reforms before you hold elections, we must be confident to say it’s a fallacy and we cannot run a country based on fallacies,” he said.
The Tsholotsho North legislator added: “An election is a precondition for reforms not to say reforms are a precondition for elections. If it were to be like that then we will not have any elections at all.”
The essence of having political parties, he said was to seek reforms.
“Political programmes are reform programmes and election manifestos are reform programmes. If you are competing as parties, it is a competition of reform programmes, if anyone comes to you with that proposition (of having reforms first) then they are taking you for granted,” said Prof Moyo.
Prof Moyo said Zanu-PF had started implementing political reforms at the attainment of independence and adoption of empowerment programmes that transformed people’s lives from what they were during the colonial era. He said Zanu PF was the only reform minded party in the country.