The Zimbabwe Republic Police has been accused of perpetrating electoral fraud in the Mwenezi East by-elections. The allegations come from the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN).
The ZRP is accused of selectively applying the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) as it would refuse to accept notifications for meetings and rallies from the opposition. It is alleged, however, that notifications from Zanu-PF were always accepted.
Part of the ZESN report reads:
The Zimbabwe People First candidate reported that several notifications for public meetings were rejected by the police
Even when fraud does not materially alter the outcome, i.e., if the election winners turn out to be the same as would have occurred in the absence of fraud, its effects are devastating for the consolidation of democracy because it represents a reward for attitudes underlying an undemocratic culture and undemocratic values.
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