REMOVE CLAUSE TO BOYCOTT ELECTIONS – OYV

By Fulman Mukobeko

OPERATION Young Vote (OYV) Executive Director Guess Nyirenda has called for the immediate removal of a clause that allows candidates to boycott elections after nominations at will.

Speaking in an interview with The Scoop, Mr Nyirenda said it has been a cry of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that Article 52 clause 6 which mandated a candidate to withdraw after nomination at will, should not be entertained in the law.

He said Article 52 clause 6 should be expunged from the Constitution because it did not add any value as it subtracted all the gains that had been made as a country regarding the democratic credentials.

Article 52 clause 6 specifically gives the power to ECZ to cancel an election and require the filing of fresh nominations by eligible candidates.

“Entertaining that clause means that we are defeating our own rule of law but also even our democracy. Democracy has rules. While everyone has a right to express themselves, they cannot infringe on other rights of other people, the rights of electorates and generally the citizens of the republic,” Mr. Nyirenda said.

The OYV Executive Director said the candidate could not subject the  whole nation to their  individual selfish interests and consequently make the nation spend colossal sums of money for them to re-do the processes that were already done.

He said withdrawing from an election at will, made the country suffer by spending unnecessary money.

“Other candidates spend because when one candidate pulls out after nominations, it doesn’t mean that others will still maintain the money that they paid. The money they pay is non-refundable. It is quite hectic and unfair on the members of the public and other candidates,” he said.