Zimbabwe Electoral Commission disbands National Command Centre

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has disbanded the National Command Centre and the chief elections officer has told representatives of opposition Presidential candidates that the verification process was now being done at a secret location by people he refused to disclose.

The latest antics by ZEC have proved beyond reasonable doubt that the government-appointed body wants to rig the Presidential election, which has clearly been won by the MDC President, Morgan Tsvangirai.

In an unprecedented move, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has failed to announce the Presidential election results 10 days after the polling took place. The MDC has gone to court to have ZEC compelled to announce the results and the case is still being heard at the High Court of Zimbabwe.

Addressing a press conference in Harare today, MDC secretary-general Hon Tendai Biti said the disbanding of the command centre meant that the regime's spy agency was now in charge and was busy concocting figures to justify a run-off when the election was outrightly won by President Tsvangirai.

The MDC secretary-general told journalists in Harare that Lovemore Sekeramayi, the ZEC chief elections officer, had told President Tsvangirai's chief election agents Chris Mbanga and Morgan Komichi, that verification was now being at another place outside the Harare International Conference Centre. He refused to disclose who was now carrying out the collation and verification exercise and the place where the exercise was now being carried out.

Hon Biti deplored African leaders for failing to take action was an unelected regime was clinging to power in Harare.

"There is silence from our friends in Africa and the rest of SADC when it is clear an unwanted and unelected regime is in charge in Harare," he said. "Africa waited for too long and intervened when there were many dead bodies in Rwanda and Somalia. Surely, they cannot wait until there are dead bodies in the streets of Harare. We have an illegal regime clinging to power in Harare and they are saying nothing."

He said the people of Zimbabwe remained calm despite Mugabe's plot to rig the election and seduce them into violence to justify a violent crackdown and a state of emergency.

The MDC secretary-general said Robert Mugabe was illegally in charge because his term expired on 11 March 2008. He said it was illegal for several former government ministers to appear on national television, as they were periodically doing, when the term of the current government ended on 28 March 2008.

"This government is now illegal. It cannot purport to be functioning constitutionally," said Hon Biti.

Statement issued by the MDC Information and Publicity Department