Harare - Zimbabwe’s elections chief, Rita Makarau has reportedly left her post months before the southern African nation holds harmonized elections.
According to a report in the private-owned Zimbabwe Independent, Makarau has tendered her resignation, but reasons for her quitting her post are not mentioned.
Other sources claim that she might have been pushed out.
Makarau’s resignation comes at a time the opposition is pushing for a coterie of electoral reforms to guarantee a free and fair election in 2018.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) faces charges of rigging elections in favour of the former President Robert Mugabe and the ruling Zanu-PF party.
Tapiwa Mashakada, a former Minister of Economic Planning and Investment during the term of the unity government between the Zanu PF and the opposition once said they had no confidence in the ZEC.
“Election management in Zimbabwe is done by the ZEC which is perceived to be partisan. It is also alleged that senior ZEC staff are deployed by the secret service. It is alleged that ZEC reports to Zanu PF,” Mashakada wrote in a series on the election rigging narrative in Zimbabwe.
In 2013, Zanu PF was accused of engaging an Israel firm to rig elections on its behalf. As the 2018 beckons, already the opposition MDC T has raised fears the ruling party has begun its rigging tricks.
MDC T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has gone further to say he will not accept any result that will not declare him a winner.
