Let’s push for early elections: Mangoma

Politics
RENEWAL Democrats of Zimbabwe (RDZ) leader Elton Mangoma has called on Zimbabweans to pile pressure on President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF government to push for early elections, saying that was the only solution to the country’s present woes.

RENEWAL Democrats of Zimbabwe (RDZ) leader Elton Mangoma has called on Zimbabweans to pile pressure on President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF government to push for early elections, saying that was the only solution to the country’s present woes.

BY OBEY MANAYITI

Mangoma told The Standard last week that the Zanu PF government was uninspiring and its continued stay in power would only result in more economic hardships for a majority of the population.

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He said there was no other means to remove Mugabe from power other than holding elections. Mangoma said the economy was on a downward spiral due to Zanu PF’s mismanagement.

“The economic collapse under Zanu PF rule started in the late 80s but evidenced on Economic Structural Adjustment Programme [Esap] so that collapse, has been there,” said Mangoma disputing that the current infighting in Zanu PF was responsible for the obtaining economic crisis.

“What is wrong about Zanu PF is their mismanagement and corruption and clearly lack of policy consistency and it is not a phenomenon that is coming up now but it goes back to the days of Esap.”

He added: “The removal of Zanu PF is the only immediate solution to the crisis that we are in. What we should be asking is that, can we wait until 2018? Maybe not, maybe we should be able to have elections a bit earlier so that Zanu PF is removed through an election and a properly elected and legitimate government comes in.”

Mangoma said there were two scenarios possible to force for an early poll. One was pressurising Mugabe to dissolve Parliament and call for elections while the other was to have MPs pass a vote of no confidence on the 91-year-old leader.

He was confident that Mugabe would succumb to legitimate pressure and be able to call for early polls.

“The year 2018 is the last by which elections must be held. “Citizens can put pressure and make Zanu PF succumb to that pressure. From next year onwards we will be in a position for early elections and we will be ready.

“We will be right there calling for early elections. Zanu PF can’t do it therefore it must be removed through an election. Polls must be held early so that we save this country,” the RDZ leader said.

Mangoma ruled out another GNU, saying it would not fix the economy.

On its key policies, RDZ said there must be full utilisation of land, making sure that there was food security in the country, scrapping the current Indigenisation Act and replacing it with partnerships that created employment and boosted the economy.

The party said if voted into power, it would introduce different policies for youths and women as well as overhauling the energy sector and security sector, among others.

“The economy is on a free fall, registering negative growth, lack of liquidity, massive job losses and company closures. Revenue collection by government is dwindling by the day and as a consequence, government’s ability to pay is also disappearing. The lack of disposable income and the general negativity are feeding and strengthening the economic decline,” Mangoma said.