President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said that the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) will remain in place as it is a useful platform for political parties to engage.
The platform was formed in May 2019 and made up of ZANU-PF and some of the smaller opposition political parties that participated in the 2018 polls.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) then led by Nelson Chamisa snubbed the platform arguing that Mnangagwa had not won the elections contrary to the Constitutional Court’s ruling.
Critics also dismissed it as a way of providing a veneer of legitimacy for the Zanu PF government after the disputed polls.
Speaking to the media after announcing his new cabinet on Monday, Mnangagwa said that Polad had been “extremely useful” and that he would like to see all political parties that contested in the 2023 elections participate.
“I think this platform will continue so that all the political parties will come on board and we will continue that practice. It was very unique,” he said.
The newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) is unlikely to join Polad as the Nelson Chamisa-led party insists that the 2023 elections were rigged in favour of the ruling party and are pushing for fresh elections.
When asked why he did not include any opposition members in his government, Mnangagwa said he was not obliged to as his party was enjoying a majority
“I am in the category of those who do not want to do it because I have a huge majority, and I think the opposition will enjoy being in the actual opposition rather than being in government. They then fail to be opposition,” said President Mnangagwa.
A 2021 survey conducted by Afrobarometer revealed that citizens had no faith in Polad but preferred an all-inclusive dialogue, as a way of uniting the ‘highly’ divided nation.
