FOUR fringe political parties signed the National Elections Reforms Agenda 2024 (NERA) in Bulawayo on Wednesday joining 21 other political players who appended their signatures to the agreement last week.
Leaders of the Straight Black Pride Zimbabwe Partnership, the United Peoples Nation, the United Democratic People’s Party and the Zimbabwe Unity party signed the NERA agreement.
Only one civic society organisation Uthando Hope Trust turned up for the signing ceremony.NERA convener, Irene Muyenziwa, said the platform was necessary to foster inclusivity.
“It is up to us as Zimbabweans to come together regardless of political affiliation and see if we can look into the constitutional amendments for our own benefits,” Muyenziwa said.
“It is the intention of stakeholders converging under NERA to commit themselves to constitutionalism, respect of human rights, gender sensitivity as a means of achieving its goals” NERA spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora, said the signatories were committed to promoting dialogue and advocacy on the electoral reform agenda in Zimbabwe.
“In the face of a deteriorating political ecosystem and subsequently a deplorable socio-economic profile both at home and abroad, the platform shall exist expressly to deal with the issues of electoral reform, elections monitoring and observation preparedness, election management mechanisms and protection of the vote,” Mwonzora said.
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Chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee, Linda Masarira, urged more political parties to embrace NERA.
“We are sincere with the issue of inclusivity, we are sincere with working together to resolve the problems that are bedevilling Zimbabwe,” Masarira said.
“We are all victims of a toxic and polarised political environment because we have chosen to be partisan instead of choosing unity of purpose.”
Critics have said NERA is a creation of Zanu PF.