Zimbabwe’s Church Calls for 7-Year Electoral Suspension

The Zimbabwean Head of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) has reached out to opposition leader Nelson Chamisa in an attempt to get him to agree to suspend elections in the country for seven years.

Chamisa’s spokesperson, Nkululeko Sibanda, confirmed the MDC leader had received the proposal, and that he was considering all options.

In an effort to mediate tensions in the country, Zimbabwe’s religious leaders have sought to find a way through the friction between Mnangagwa’s ruling ZANU-PF and Chamisa’s MDC.

In announcing the plan, the ZHOCD’s Secretary General Rev. Kenneth Mtata, called the idea “a sabbath on all political contestation for a period of seven years to allow for the rebuilding of trust and confidence, reset our politics and chart a shared way forward towards a comprehensive economic recovery path in a non-competitive political environment”.

He elaborated further, explaining that he believed Zimbabwe could not engage in any further political or economic development whilst the country was still reeling from the last election cycle.

If Chamisa agrees to the moratorium, it would be put to the public in a confirmatory referendum.

Mnangagwa came out on top in last year’s presidential election, though it is widely believed both by the MDC and the international community it was not a free and fair contest.

Two Washington-based think-tanks, the American International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute, both had observant roles during polling, and have expressed doubts over the validity of the result.

Chamisa attempted to have the result overturned through the judiciary, but the Supreme Court threw out his case, unanimously declaring Mnangagwa the winner.