THERE are now three official political parties in parliament – Zanu PF, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and the MDC – after the Saturday parliamentary and council by-elections.
CCC led by Nelson Chamisa made it to parliament after winning 19 out of 28 parliamentary polls, with Zanu PF begging the remainder.
The MDC headed by Douglas Mwonzora came out of the elections a cropper – his party pulverised, itomised into discrete particles.
But despite the walloping, the MDC remains the main opposition party because it has more members of parliament than the CCC.
The polls have come and gone and those who were elected into parliament and councils must now roll the sleeves and start fulfilling their electoral promises.
As we inch towards the 2023 harmonised polls, we now expect parliamentary vibrancy in the august house.
We expect three parties to work hand in glove to shape the way towards the polls.
Among people’s expectations is that parliament would spearhead electoral reforms to ensure free, fair and credible polls in the country next year. We need a clear and undisputed roadmap.
What is encouraging is that Justice minister Ziyamba Ziyambi recently confirmed that the government would embark on electoral reforms though he did not state the form and content of the transformations.
On its part, the CCC, through Chamisa, has been calling for dialogue with Zanu PF to agree on a roadmap to the 2023 polls.
Mwonzora, on the other hand, has been an advocate of dialogue and had written twice to President Emmerson Mnangagwa pressing for talks.
Given such a scenario, the urgency for now should be negotiations, starting in parliament, between the country’s main parties and agreeing on what form of reforms we need to guarantee that next year’s elections will be free and fair.
It is pleasing that the Saturday by-elections were largely carried out in a generally peaceful environment. Cases of politically-motivated violence were isolated.
We need more peaceful polls going forward. Elections must be a contest of ideas, not brute force. The quality of our polls will determine our future engagement and re-engagement with the international community.
The world now frowns upon nations dogged by political instability, mayhem and violence. Zimbabwe’s bad boy tag must go!