Chronicle Editor
THE successful holding of the Zanu-PF central committee elections on Saturday shows that the ruling party not only has vibrant structures but leads in terms of democratic processes.
All provinces held their elections except Masvingo, where polling was conducted yesterday, as the province hosted President Mnangagwa for an oversubscribed star rally in Chiredzi on Saturday.
While other parties are at sixes and sevens, without structures, Zanu-PF held successful polls that, from preliminary indications, have ushered in a blend of leaders, young and old while also maintaining gender balance.
The internal elections were held ahead of the party’s Congress set for the end of this month.
In an interview with our sister paper, The Sunday Mail on Saturday night, the party’s spokesperson Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa said the internal polls were a resounding success as voting went according to plan with no incidents of concern.
“I take this occasion to announce that the Central Committee elections of the party of the revolution, Zanu-PF, have gone on very well.
“They have been orderly and there have been no incidents of particular concern. The disciplined membership of the party went on their voting processes, choosing their candidates according to their choice,” he said.
“We are the party of the Zimbabwe revolution. Our contestation yields no losers, it yields no winners, actually, the winner is the party and in the process, the benefit of the winning goes to the Zimbabwean people, who have always given their faith to Zanu-PF as the party that freed them from bondage, as the party that organised them to fight against foreign rulers and as the party that delivered the independence that they enjoy today.”
Ambassador Mutsvangwa said democracy and the electoral ethos run deep in the party’s DNA as evidenced by its goal to deliver prosperity to the Zimbabwean people.
He added that the Central Committee elections are a crucial preparation for the party Congress to be held at the end of the month, following a successful restructuring exercise.
“We are preparing for the elections in 2023 and because of our bond with the Zimbabwe people, we are very confident that our party will win and that our candidate, President Mnangagwa, will emerge with an overwhelming victory, a landslide victory which dwarfs the one of 1980 which brought about independence to Zimbabwe,” he said.
In an interview last Friday, the ruling party’s Political Commissar Cde Mike Bimha said during the course of the year, Zanu-PF has strengthened its internal democracy mechanisms and expects the elections to be held in a flawless manner.
“From party districts, we went on up to the provincial to the national and all that has been a fine process which is leading to establishing the new Central Committee members. The Central Committee is the last one before we go to the Congress and Congress has been earmarked towards the end of this month,” he said.
“This is very important because this is the highest organ between conferences in terms of decision-making.
This is our elective year; we have had elections from the beginning of the year from establishing provincial co-ordinating committees.”
Cde Bimha said the party this year was able to hold elections for the Youth League Assembly, Women’s League and the inaugural War Veterans Wing leadership.
Online Reporter