Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa today pledged to deliver a fair and transparent election on Monday when the country holds its harmonised elections which will incorporate presidential, parliamentary and council elections.
He made the pledge at the BRICS Summit which is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and ended today.
BRICS is a group of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
“Let me assure you, Your Excellencies, that all measures have been taken and put in place, for peaceful, transparent, fair and credible elections,” Mnangagwa said.
On Monday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern about growing number of reports of “voter intimidation, threats of violence, harassment and coercion, including people being forced to attend political rallies”.
At the same time, the OHCHR welcomed the “widening of the democratic space” in Zimbabwe ahead of the elections, such as the presence of international human rights observers.
Mnangagwa who is the midst of his campaign said he had decided to attend the summit because his government attaches a lot of importance on BRICS.
“We are now at the climax of the campaign period but I considered it essential to be present at this forum and have this rare and privileged opportunity to exchange views with all of you in such a setting,” he told the summit.
According to the Herald, Mnangagwa said strategic deliberations are made at BRICS summits.
Mnangagwa has never missed an opportunity to promote his “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra.
“My country is determined to leapfrog our development and growth. We have started on an ambitious but attainable drive to industrialise and modernise all sectors of our economy,” he told the summit.
While the campaigning has so far been peaceful, opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has vowed that there will be chaos if he is not declared the winner.
Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu said the security forces were ready to deal with any violence that might erupt.
Zimbabwe is holding the crucial elections on Monday which has been declared a public holiday.
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