Staff Report
The United States of America, through United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has continued with its interference in the Zimbabwe internal electoral process.
A source who spoke to this publication said that USAID recently gave US$10 million to the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), to produce a book focusing on 2023 harmonised elections.
The same source added that ZESN had since called for researchers and authors to contribute to the writing of the chapters of the book themed, ‘The Route towards 2023 Harmonised Elections in Zimbabwe.’
The source said the contents of the book were expected to discredit the country’s electoral processes.
A political analyst, Dunmore Chikomba castigated USAID for pouring money into elections related organisations like ZESN in its bid to effect regime change in Zimbabwe.
“As Zimbabwe countdown to the 2023 Harmonised General Elections, it has become a public secret that USAID is used to fund and drive the US imperialistic designs and objectives such as regime change,” said Chikomba.
Another political analyst, Terrence Chipwanya said that ZESN had been a foot soldier for US regime change agenda in Zimbabwe.
“In 2008, Canadian writer and blogger Stephen Gowans wrote an insightful piece on non-governmental organisations and western organisations. Gowans placed ZESN as the shadow elections body in Zimbabwe whose role is regime change and linked it to organisations like the Centre for Civil Society. ZESN is funded by the US to promote US interests under the guise of promoting democratisation,” said Chipwanya.
Chipwanya added that it’s not surprising that ZESN was pursuing the production of a book that focuses on Zimbabwe’s elections soon after the launch of Citizens Coalition for Change electoral strategy blueprint.
“Unsurprisingly this is the message that is being parroted by the western sponsored CCC leader, Nelson Chamisa in his new electoral reforms, leaving us critics to conclude that the opposition is yet again on the strings of powerful handlers” said Chipwanya.
The yet to be produced book has reportedly attracted students from the University of Zimbabwe as they are currently stampeding to contribute towards its production as they will be paid US$400 for each chapter contributed.
Chipwanya said that by dangling US$400 to chapter contributors, the USAID was desperate to lure young academics to join opposition politics and be part of the West’s regime change agenda.
As the countdown to the 2023 harmonised elections begins, the West is expected to do more to discredit the local electoral processes as well as prop up the opposition parties in a bid to effect regime change in Zimbabwe.
