2018 Elections: panacea to transformation or more of the same? - MISA Internal Communication Portal

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                                                          Vol. 1 Issue 26

                                                          JUNE - JULY
                                                          2 0 1 8

2018            Elections:
panacea to transformation or more of the same?
              NEW DISPENSATION OR NEW ERROR
              CREDIBLE POLLS: A MATTER OF POLITICAL WILL
              SCRAMBLE FOR ZIMBABWE'S 60% YOUNG VOTE
              THE MILITARY FACTOR AND THE 2018 ELECTIONS
              NO CHANCE FOR MOST INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES
              BEYOND POLITICS OF PERSONALITIES
              ELECTIONS MUST BE POSTPONED FOR FIVE YEARS
Zimbabwe’s election season is now in full    their bitter rivalry and contestations were      happened with the previous polls.
bloom as political parties launch their      at the centre of Zimbabwe’s disputed
manifestos and criss-cross the country       elections dating as far back as the 2000         Other issues relate to whether the presence
holding campaign rallies ahead of the        polls.The 2008 elections are a case in point     of elections observers such as SADC,
elections set for 30 July 2018.              in that regard after Tsvangirai pulled out       African Union and from the previously
                                             of the presidential run-off elections citing     banned European Union, will assist in
Of signifance is that former president and   violence and the murder of his supporters.       opening the political space and ensuring
Zanu PF leader, Robert Mugabe, together                                                       a conducive elections environment. Also
with his longstanding nemesis, but now       It is against allegations of rigged elections    key to this is the credibility, impartiality
deceased MDC-T leader Morgan                  exacerbated by an uneven playing field          and independence of the Zimbabwe
Tsvangirai, will not be factors in the       skewed in Mugabe’s favour, that the former       Electoral Commission to conduct
coming elections.                            strongman’s successor, Emmerson                  democratic elections.
                                             Mnangagwa, is repeating the mantra of the
Mugabe who dominated Zimbabwean              importance of convening free, fair and           What is at stake therefore, is whether the
politics through his iron-fist rule and      credible elections.                              2018 elections will pass the test in terms
stranglehold on the nation since                                                              of the SADC Guidelines on the Conduct
independence in 1980, was pushed out of      That Zimbabwe needs to exorcise itself of        of Democratic Elections and African
power by the military in November last       the ghost of disputed election outcomes,         Charter on Democracy Elections and
year. Tsvangirai who was at the helm of      cannot be over-emphasised and thus               Governance, among other regional and
his party since its formation in 1999,       informs the theme of this edition of             international instruments and best practice
succumbed to cancer of the colon in          Thinking Beyond: 2018 Elections:                 on democratic elections.
April this year.                             Panacea to Transformation or More of the Same?
                                                                                              Suffice to say, another disputed election
The absence of the two prominent             This question is addressed through various       outcome will rob the nation of the
Zimbabwean politicians undoubtedly           articles published in this edition by an array   opportunity to address the longstanding
changes the complexion of the elections      of diverse writers who offer their               socio-economic ills and stagnation
game given their longstanding rivalry and    opinions, views and ideas on fundamental         characterised by 90% unemployment,
dominance of the country’s political         issues underpinning the 2018 elections.          corruption and mismanagement of national
landscape.                                   One key issue is on what needs to be done        resources.
                                             to secure free, fair and credible elections
What sticks out between the two, is that     whose outcome will not be disputed as

ii           JUNE-JULY          2018
New dispensation
                                               or new error
    By Professor Eldred V. Masunungure

In 2018 Zimbabwe finds itself in a novel
situation which its admirers affectionately
call a ‘new dispensation’ while its critics
dismiss it as a ‘new error’.

It was occasioned by two momentous
events that have reconfigured the country’s
politics. The first was the dramatic,
military-executed and mass-supported
‘soft’ coup of November 2017 which eased
out the long-ruling Tsar of Zimbabwe,
then 93-year old Robert Gabriel Mugabe,
ushering in his long-time confidante and
                                                             Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and President Mnangagwa
Vice-President, 75-year old Emmerson
Dambudzo Mnangagwa (popularly
known as ED).                                  The second crucial event was in February      On the economic front, the mantra since
                                               2018, that is, the untimely demise, through   then has been that “Zimbabwe is open for
The soldiers, previously playing crucial       the Hand of God, of 65-year old Morgan        business” and that, henceforth, economics
but covert roles in the politics of the        Tsvangirai, veteran opposition leader of      will trump politics in the decision-making
country, now entered the centre of the         the 20-year old MDC-T. He was replaced        calculations of the new Government: “It
political stage with the former Commander      (in a dramatic, albeit controversial          is not anymore politics and politics, we are
of the Defence Forces (CDF), General           Machiavellian style), by the 40-year-old      saying politics and economics”, he reiterated
Constantino Chiwenga, assuming the No          Nelson Chamisa who immediately sought         in late April 2018. The second wave was
2 position of Vice-President of both the       to re-energise his popular base and has       when Chamisa took over and reinvigorated
ruling ZANU PF and the State.                  done so with considerable success, so far.    his otherwise moribund party. Support
Now ED is President of ZANU PF and             Combined, both events resulted in tectonic    for the MDC-T has surged from 16% of
Government while Chiwenga is one of the        shifts in the country’s body politic. Thus,   adult Zimbabweans sampled in February
two Vice-Presidents in both institutions.      in a large sense, Zimbabwe finds itself in    2017 to 28% in May 2018.
The second VP is Kembo Mohadi, a               uncharted territory, without its two rival
prominent war veteran.                         titans who had become political fixtures      Zimbabwe’s high stakes elections
                                               at the apex of the polity.
Thus, the top three in the party and                                                         It is election season in Zimbabwe, again.
Government have a martial background.          Paradoxically, the demise of both also        On 30 July 2018, Zimbabweans will be
More than ever before, Zimbabwe is now         raised waves of hope where there was          back in the ballot box for their sixth
a fully-fledged party-military regime,         despondency. The first wave of hope was       presidential and ninth parliamentary
raising questions about which of the two       when ED took over in November 2017            elections since independence in 1980.
institutions is supreme and exercises veto     promising several public goods anchored
power over the other.                          on a ‘new, open and unfolding democracy’      Despite the fact that regular elections in
                                               and that the upcoming elections would be      the last 37 years neither produced an
The related and troubling concern is           ‘free, fair, credible, transparent and        alternation of the party in power nor
whether this alliance deepens democracy        peaceful’ to which international observers    improved their welfare (which declined
or reconsolidates electoral authoritarianism   are invited to observe because there is       markedly post-2000 with the economy
in Zimbabwe.                                   ‘nothing to hide’.                            shrinking by half),

                                                                                                JUNE-JULY            2018              1
Zimbabweans are still enamoured of              recent scientific survey conducted by the      expressed high hopes for a good quality
elections as the preferred method of            Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) in        election and that the Zimbabwe Electoral
choosing the political leadership of the        May 2018, exactly a quarter (75%)              Commission (ZEC) is prepared for the
country (see Figure 1 below).                   “agreed” or “very strongly agreed” that they   harmonised elections.
                                                can use their power as voters “to choose
As is clear and unambiguous, huge               leaders who will help us to improve our        That said, only a slim majority (53%), said
majorities across partisan affiliations, age,   lives”. Only a fifth (20%), felt that “no      ZEC performed its duties as a neutral body
and education “agree” or “agree strongly”       matter whom we vote for, things will not       guided only by law while less than half
that people should choose their leaders         get better in the future”. This is a very      (46%) trust the electoral management
through regular, open, and honest               strong testament to the power of the vote.     body. Overall, more than six in 10
elections.                                                                                     Zimbabweans (62%), expect a free and
Respondents were asked:Which                    will elections deliver                         fair election in July 2018.
of the following statements is closest to
                                                                                               Most significantly, there is a wide window
                                                                                               of opportunity for Zimbabwe to turn the
                                                                                               cor ner, consolidate the fledgling
                                                                                               democratic transition and deliver what
                                                                                               Zimbabweans say they want most i.e. jobs,
                                                                                               an improved and stable economy, better
                                                                                               health and education, all under a
                                                                                               corruption-free, accountable government.

                                                                                               Zimbabwe’s two-horse race

                                                                                               Mnangagwa and his ZANU PF as well as
                                                                                               Chamisa and his MDC-T/Alliance are not
                                                                                               the only political gladiators on the political
                                                                                               stage. In fact, the Zimbabwe political
                                                                                               universe is inhabited by a bevy of more
                                                                                               than 120 parties - many dismissed as ‘fly-
                                                                                               by-night’ outfits - but only two really
                                                                                               matter, i.e. ZANU PF and the MDC-
                                                                                               T/Alliance.
Figure 1: Support for regular, open, and honest elections | by age, education,
                                                                                               Both anecdotal and empirical evidence
and voting intention | Zimbabwe |2018
                                                                                               suggests that in the upcoming harmonised
                                                                                               elections, the other parties and their leaders
your view? Statement 1:We should choose         Zimbabwe is presently a nation in despair      are not likely to attract more than miniscule
our leaders in this country through             but the ‘new dispensation’ and upcoming        popular support. The May 2018
regular, open, and honest elections.            elections have generated high, if not over-    MPOI/Afrobarometer survey fully attests
Statement 2: Since elections sometimes          inflated, hopes about the future. As of May    to this with only a total of about 1%
                                                2018, more than six in 10 Zimbabweans          supporting parties other than ZANU PF
produce bad results, we should adopt
                                                (62%), said the country was going in the       and the MDC-T/Alliance. In short,
other methods for choosing this country’s       wrong direction and nearly three quarters      Zimbabwe’s political system has, since
leaders. (% who “agree” or “agree               (74%, descr ibe macro-economic                 2000, coagulated into a two-party polity
very strongly” with each                        conditions as “fairly bad” or “very bad”.      – see Figure 2.
statement)
                                                However, a full half of the adult
Marching forward toward July 30, 2018,          Zimbabweans (51%) expect the country’s
most Zimbabweans and many in the                economy to improve in the next 12 months
international community ponder over the          i.e. after elections. An equal proportion
likely quality of the elections, their          (63%), regard voting as a civic duty and
outcome, and what this portends for the         not just a matter of personal choice.
country and its citizens. For instance, a       Further, and despite saying the country is
                                                going in the wrong direction, a majority

2             JUNE-JULY            2018
Figure 2:                                                                                         and outside the country.
                                                                                                   In terms of post-election governance, and
                                                                                                  regardless of who wins, Zimbabwe is likely
                                                                                                  to take a liberal trajectory, more so in its
                                                                                                  economic path and perhaps less so in its
                                                                                                  politics. At worst, we are poised for the
                                                                                                  so-called ‘China model’ (also called the
                                                                                                  Rwanda model) that entails liberal
                                                                                                  economics and illiberal politics.

                                                                                                  Many also wonder whether the current,
                                                                                                  apparently more open and freer political
                                                                                                  environment is sustainable and will endure
                                                                                                  beyond the elections. This is the too-good-
                                                                                                  to-be-true tendency in Zimbabwe political
                                                                                                  society. I am inclined to think the ‘good
                                                                                                  times’ will outlast the elections.
                                                                                                  There is a strong sense that the post-
                                                                                                  November 2017 momentum is irreversible
                                                                                                  and that the chances of backsliding are
                                                                                                  minimal if not blocked.Though it is difficult
                                                                                                  to rule out regression, I would say that
                                                                                                  relapse, though possible, is improbable.
On the basis of circumstantial and               post-election Zimbabwe
empirically-based evidence, this article                                                          Further, there is a moderately high
speculates that the 30 July election will be     While Zimbabweans are yearning for a             probability of a post-election coalition
a ‘turnout election’ i.e. the outcome will       good quality election - which is a public        government. Though the victors might
depend on who gets out the vote. As it is        good in and of itself - they hope that such      find it irresistible to go solo and consolidate
essentially a two-horse contest, the verdict     a credible election will be the vehicle that     their rulership, it would be unwise to do
will be decided on who of the two horses         will carry the country from Egypt to             so in the context of a fragile economy in
mobilises his popular base.                      Canaan, from the old, broken, and unhappy        a polarised society and where nation-
                                                 Zimbabwe to a new and better socio-              building is a compelling imperative.
Which of the political parties and their         economic and political order that is
respective leaders will be able to marshal       governed in the interests of all i.e. a          Moreover, members of the coalition
the electorate on election day. Further,         Zimbabwe for all and free of the pariah          government need not be partisan political
and given that more than a quarter of the        status it was burdened with in the last one-     gladiators but could and ought to be drawn
electorate (26%, is reticent about its           and-half decades.                                from the wide spectrum of Zimbabwe
voting intentions, who will harness this                                                          society.
large pool of voters? The history of post-       As we see it, and notwithstanding that old
2000 elections (and even before, teaches         habits die hard, the auguries are good and       Whatever the outcome, new Zimbabwe
us that ZANU PF has both the                     promising. The paper is more sanguine            will never be the same again.
organisational presence as well as more          about the future since ‘Black Friday’ in
mobilisational capacity to do get its            November 1997.The political climate and,         Professor Eldred Masunungure is a lecturer at
supporters to the polling booth, especially      with it, the electoral environment, have         the University of Zimbabwe in the Political
in the rural areas.                              never been freer, even when restrictive          Science Department. He can be contacted at
                                                 legislation - POSA and AIPPA being most          evmas56@yahoo.co.uk
I further speculate that, ceteris paribus, the   notorious - that limits some political rights,
incumbent regime will be endorsed, most          liberties and freedoms remains on the
probably in the lower to mid-50% in the          statute books,
first round of the presidential election and
achieve a simple majority in Parliament.         All things being equal, Zimbabwe is poised
However, all things are not always equal         for free and fair enough elections that in
and there are still many big unknowns -          all probability will be found to be
including the weather! - that may upset          acceptable by most stakeholders, inside
the best predictions.

                                                                                                     JUNE-JULY             2018               3
Understanding the fall of big wigs
 in mainstream political parties
                                                reconfigured political economy                  Public office, either at central or local
                                                                                                government level, had been reduced to
                                                Zimbabwe’s 2018 electoral battle lines          dinner tables where political elites have
                                                will largely be based on Professor              been conspiring against ordinary citizens.
                                                Raftopoulos’ (2014) reconfigured political      In essence public office was reduced into
                                                economy. Ever since the launch of the Fast      an exercise in ‘Eating’ and not service
                                                Trac k Land Refor m Settlement                  delivery. As the elites dined and wined,
                                                Programme, Zimbabwe has experienced             they forgot to maintain their relations with
                                                a processes of new class formations that is     their constituencies.
                                                creating new social classes with their own
                                                set of electoral demands.                       The lesson to the Big Wigs has been that
         By Tamuka Chirimambuwa                                                                 elections are not only about fulfilling
                                                Various social groups have emerged in           symbolic and periodic rituals, but also
The November 2017 coup deposed                  Zimbabwe’s reconfigured economy and             consist of the socio-economic and political
President Mugabe from power but at the          these include vendors, cross border             forces that inform and condition voting
same time demystified his godly-cult on         traders, small business operators, new          behaviour patterns.
the Zimbabwe African National Union             farmers, artisanal minors (makorokoza),
Patriotic Front (ZANU PF).                      commuter omnibus and taxi operators,            For the Makorokoza it is about how they
                                                rank touts and marshals, saloon and             will be able to continue or expand their
Following the departure of President            backyard shop owners, among many                gold scrounging activities; the cross border
Mugabe under acrimonious circumstances          others, in the informal economy.                traders, how they will be able to bring
was the tragic death of MDC-T leader                                                            their merchandise with less hassle from
Morgan Tsvangirai on the 14th of February       On the surface these groups appear              ZIMRA; the commuter omnibus
2018. These two events inadvertently led        inconsequential and might hide from the         operators, how they will be protected from
to seismic shifts in Zimbabwe’s main            analyst some very important realities about     the marauding police on the roads and the
political parties as shown by the results of    Zimbabwe’s social base and its import to        new farmers, how they will have access to
their primary elections.                        the electoral field configuration. Crucially,   inputs, markets and cash after selling
                                                a cursory look at these different groups        produce, is what will most likely give
A significant number of the so-called           does not reveal the ‘structural forces’ that    compelling reasons to the electorate on
political heavy weights fell by the wayside     must be understood by those seeking             why it is necessary to vote for certain
in the MDC-T/Alliance and ZANU PF               political office. Yet when the aggregate        candidates.
primary elections. In some cases, special       voice of these groups is marshalled
political arrangements had to be made to        together, it builds a cogent political          Voters always cast their votes for those
accommodate the fallen ‘Big Wigs’. While        narrative yearning for change and               who identify with their cause and this
there have been a number of plausible           transformation of the state to produce          explains why most of the political Big Men
explanations ranging from accusations of        solutions that address livelihood questions.    fell.
vote rigging and a host of electoral
malpractices by the losers, one unexplored      This is the reality that had eluded most of     the end of big men
explanation is the silent transition that has   Zimbabwe’s political leadership within the
been brewing in Zimbabwe’s body politic.        MDC-T and ZANU PF. Put simply, the              The demise of Mugabe - due to the coup-
                                                difference between Zimbabwe’s major              and Tsvangirai - due to nature - was a
The loss of the big wigs has to be              political parties is now just in name rather    significant defining moment that put an
understood within the context of a silent       than alternative political culture and          end to the politics of the Big Men. These
transition, voting demographic shifts and       practices.                                      two nemesis had become the thesis and
fatigue with the old.                                                                           anti-thesis of Zimbabwe’s body politic

4             JUNE-JULY            2018
building larger than life personality cults    and Tsvangirai loyalists failed to read and        when the genie is out
domineering politics. Those opposed to         understand, that once their High Priest
Mugabe’s rule bore the brunt of the            fell, it was time to leave the pulpit.             The Coup and Tsvangirai were the final
emperor’s whip as he was meant to rule                                                            acts that let the Genie out of the bottle and
from the grave. Expressing ambition to         King Midas beautiful clothes and                   the impact has been earth shaking.The shift
succeed Mugabe was considered treasonous       the baboons.                                       in voting demographics where the majority
and Joice Mujuru had to pay dearly for this                                                       of the voters are below 35 years is
as well as Emmerson Mnangagwa having           By the time Mugabe and Tsvangirai exited           instructive in understanding why the old
to be saved by the military.                   the political stage, it had become clear that      fell on the wayside.
                                               winds of change were slowly brewing up
The disciplining of those expressing           in Zimbabwe’s major parties. However,              This demographic is the one that dominates
ambition to succeed Mugabe had the net         within both parties, expressing ambition           the various social groups identified in this
effect of bottling clamours for internal       to challenge the dear leader was considered        essay and bore the brunt of the burden of
renewal and change, but failed to extinguish   treasonous. Dissent was muzzled and all            the political and economic crisis whilst the
the ambers of internal change within           fissures closed, yet beneath the surface           elites across the political divide has been
ZANU PF. Critically, Mugabe survived           pressure was boiling and waiting for one           pre-occupied with their public
three rebellions: Tsholotsho Declaration       oppor tune moment to blow up.                      emoluments. Politics was reduced to an
in 2004; Bhora Musango in 2008 and                                                                exercise in scavenging for residential and
Gamatox of 2015. He finally, succumbed         Apologists in ZANU PF and MDC-T sang               commercial stands, government and
to the November 2017 coup.                     relentlessly and in trance style on how the        municipal tenders, Member of Parliament
                                               Emperor’s clothes were beautiful, despite          and Councillors’ allowances and the Cars
Within opposition politics, Tsvangirai had     being naked. In ZANU PF, it was Gushungo           (Ford Rangers), that comes with being in
become a colossus and deity who couldn’t       chete, chete (Mugabe only, only). In MDC-          Parliament.
be questioned. Those who dissented with        T it was Save chete, chete (Tsvangirai only,       In essence, politics in Zimbabwe had
him, experienced the wrath of the infamous     only) in reference to occupying the                become defined by the congruency of elite
Morgan’s whip which was equated to God’s       presidency. This is despite that Mugabe’s          interests across the divide or what Blogger
whip -‘Shamhu yaMorgan yakafanana              advanced age and misrule was cause for             Takura Zhangazha terms ‘The permanence
neshamhu yaMwari’- within opposition and       concern as well as Tsvangirai’s failing health     of elitist politics’.
civil society circles.                         becoming an electoral issue.
                                                                                                  concluding thoughts: when milk
Morgan’s whip was either exercised             Mugabe and Tsvangirai’s supporters, like           is spilt.
through violence against opponents via a       ostriches, buried their heads in the sand
Vanguard or what is known as physical          in the face of calls for renewal. They             A combination of the reconfigured political
counselling in the pro-democratic              resorted to authoritarian tactics to stay in       economy, fatigue with the old and shifting
movement and squeezing of funding taps         power, ignoring the voices of change.              voting demographics, are instructive in
by the Black Donors ( Local donor workers      Mugabe and Tsvangirai had loyalists to             understanding the casualties of the ‘Big
who acted as gatekeepers to those opposed      effect their domination, who also became           Wigs’ in the primary elections of
to Morgan’s rule).                             the faces of their r ule within                    Zimbabwe’s two major political parties.
                                               the constituencies.
Tsvangirai sur vived three revolts:                                                               The message to the young over the years
Welshman Ncube’s 2005 split;                   Unbeknown to the two Big Men and their             was that politics is all about eating and not
Chamisa/Biti Project 2016 plot at the 2014     loyalists, was that people wanted real             public ser vice, hence the intense
Congress and Biti/Mangoma 2015                 change and could no longer be taken for            contestations and big thuds that were heard
Renewal split. Morgan finally succumbed        granted as once remarked by the late Vice          in the primary elections.The milk is already
to nature and this marked the fall of the      President Simon Muzenda, that even if              spilt and there is no going back on the
last strongman of Zimbabwe’s opposition.       ZANU PF puts a baboon, the electorate              silent transition. It is now a matter of Dan
                                               had to vote for it. These winds of change          Fulani’s “God’s Case, No Appeal”. The dice
Mugabe and Tsvangirai were the last            are still blowing and will shake down more         is cast and the winds of change are blowing
strongmen of Zimbabwe’s politics and with      ‘Big Wigs’ in the general elections                and more of the old will succumb to
their demise, the cults that they built will   especially, where the political parties have       the young.
crumble like a deck of cards, giving           ignored the people’s will.
opportunity for the birth of a new order.                                                         Tamuka Chirimambowa is a researcher with The
The post-Mugabe/Tsvangirai period will         The time of putting baboons (into public           Institute of Public Affairs
most likely see the emergency of pluralistic   office), is over as there is a silent transition
politics and put rest to politics of the Big   brewing.
Men. This is a phenomenon that Mugabe

                                                                                                     JUNE-JULY            2018              5
Zimbabwe’s balloon in
political parties full of hot air.
                                               the government of the day in check.                Mnangagwa, is fervently hoping for voters
                                               Interestingly, Zimbabwe, a country with            to cement and sanitise its hold on power
                                               a population of 13 million, has more than          while the MDC alliance led by a youthful
                                               120 political parties that have expressed          Nelson Chamisa hopes to take full charge.
                                               interest to participate in this year’s elections   Adding more glamour or humour to the
                                               to be held in July.                                elections is that a total of 123 parties,
                                                                                                  according to the Zimbabwe Electoral
                                               Unlike previous elections, the 2018                Commission (ZEC) are participating in
                                               elections will not feature Robert Mugabe,          the vote.
                                               the former president who was deposed
                                               last year in a coup d’état after ruling for        With 123 political contestations, one can
                                               37 years. In the same vein, this election          imagine the insurmountable amount of
           By Lulu Brenda Harris               will not feature the ‘godfather’ of                candidates that would be on one ballot
                                               oppositional politics -Morgan Tsvangirai,          paper.
IN any democratic state, people must be        who had been battling Mugabe for years,
able to voice their opinions on any subject,   after he succumbed to cancer of the colon          The question that most people have been
especially if their rights are guaranteed by   early this year.                                   asking is does having 123 political parties
the constitution. Every individual has a                                                          make sense and what is their purpose.
right to make their ideas known to the         Former Vice President, Joice Mujuru, is            Perhaps these parties are spurred by the
community and others.                          leading her own charges -the Peoples               rot (economic, socially, politically) that
                                               Rainbow Coalition while disgruntled                has enveloped the country for 38 years.
Ideally, individuals with the same ideas       former Zanu PF members will also contest           Political parties, as they are known - state
come together and form a group and it is       under their own National Patriotic Front.          their philosophies, put forward candidates
such groups that eventually decide to seek     But these are not the only reasons why the         to represent, explain this philosophy and
power and become a part of a country’s         light will be shone on Zimbabwe’s                  lastly organise people to vote for them.
political system. On this basis, political     elections.                                         Research has also proved that political
parties are formed so that these groups                                                           parties serve these key functions: mobilise
can be noticed and given attention while       The army, which took over from Mugabe’s            voters, choose suitable candidates to
pushing its ideas.                             administration, led by Emmerson

For political parties to gain traction, they
need to find or attract many people who
approve and share the same ideas with
then. It is when armed with the large
numbers of people that a political party
will have the confidence to take on the
sitting government because it knows it has
the necessary support.

Due to the contestation of ideas and
multiplying number of political parties,
the government feels pressure and not
wanting to lose its political power also
tries to come up with its own innovative
ideas that will maintain the confidence and
possible votes of people.Therefore political
parties are necessary watchdogs to keep

6            JUNE-JULY             2018
represent their cause, come up with              parties? Do these parties finance their           flaunting that it has the funds to do so.
governance strategies and monitor the            candidates or the candidates are left to          If the major opposition parties that have
party that is in government.                     finance their own campaigns?                      been in existence for years are struggling
                                                                                                   to keep up with Zanu PF with regards to
If one looks at the major political parties      As in the case in Zimbabwe, political             oiling their campaigns, will these smaller
in Zimbabwe, Zanu PF and the opposition          parties that meet a particular threshold of       and start-up parties be able to do it?
MDC, factionalism in the former and              representation receive access to funding          If they can, will they be able to present
jostling for positions in the latter, shows      and the only parties that access this money       their funding statements to the public? In
that nowadays political parties concern          from the national budget is Zanu PF and           fact are all these political parties, at the
themselves more with nominating                  the MDC-T.                                        very least able to publicly present their
candidates, blabbering about winning of                                                            budgets and operating costs for
office rather than governing and creating        This raises more question as to how the           public scrutiny?
influential policies.                            start-up or smaller political parties will
                                                 access fundraising to advance their               Political parties, mostly the opposition,
It can also be argued that politics in           political aims.                                   are supposed to keep a close eye on the
Z i m b a b we h a s b e c o m e h i g h ly                                                        ruling party and confront it when it does
commercialised. Our politics have become         It is no secret that a well organised political   a policy misstep and inform the public
that of self-interest and making profit.         campaign needs funds to run efficiently           about it. The important role of political
Individuals are no longer motivated by the       and it is evident that bigger political parties   parties cannot be denied in a proper
need to serve but are spurred on by greed        need more resources because they have             functioning political system, but is it
and feeding their own bellies.                   larger constituencies, high administrative        beneficial for a country such as Zimbabwe
                                                 and operational costs.                            to create a whole slew of them?
An alert electorate should quiz themselves                                                         There is a likelihood that all of these 123
about the motives of the 123 political           For instance, as the country approaches           parties will overburden the electorate,
parties. Do these parties seek to bring          July, political party funding has come under      which is already fatigued from too much
transformation or disaster? Will these           the spotlight in Zimbabwe.                        political rhetoric. It is also possible that if
political parties be able to field capable,                                                        people with many similar ideas run against
credible candidates willing to serve or are      The ruling Zanu PF managed to purchase            each other, voters may choose a candidate
they fielding a team of wannabes?                regalia and vehicles worth an alleged             based on who was more exposed to them
A majority of these 123 political parties        US$70 million for its campaign bragging           rather than who was more qualified
are start-up organisations and it is prudent     that “…we have 15 million T-shirts, 15            to lead.
to ask if they will be able to mobilise voters   million caps…This year we want every
or if they have the energy to actively seek      party member to have at least three caps          The growth of political parties is still very
out people.                                      and three t-shirts. We want to paint the          important for understanding Zimbabwean
                                                 country with our regalia...”                      electoral politics and the electoral
More controversially, what is the                                                                  environment today, but without the
fundraising structure of many of these           Yet, the opposition is struggling to do the       backing of a major political party, there
parties considering that the Zimbabwean          same for its own members.                         are fewer chances that a candidate from a
economy is stagnant and suffering from a                                                           start-up party can be elected president.
cash crisis?                                     Zanu PF spending large shows that running
                                                 a political campaign is no child’s play and       Lulu Brenda Harris is a freelance journalist
In short, who is funding these political         to showcase its own worth as a party is           based in Bulawayo

                                                                                                      JUNE-JULY             2018               7
Scramble for Zimbabwe's
          60% young vote
                                             The ruling Zanu PF side of social media      political opposition. Whether it be in
                                             was under standably somewhat                 the form of newfound attempts at an
                                             muted. Probably because shooting from        ‘Alliance’ or as various splinter or
                                             the hip about age and political capacity     new parties.
                                             may be a slightly vulnerable point for
                                             them. At least on social media.              For the ruling Zanu Pf party, it’s an easier
                                                                                          ask. Mainly because it is a ruling party,
                                             In both respects, and no matter how          an incumbent. Even after a ‘coup-not-
                                             much raving, ranting or muting that may      a -coup’ in November 2017. It however
                                             occur on social media platforms, I am        has to contend with queries as to who
           By Takura Zhangazha               certain that the main political parties      mobilised the voter registration process
                                             that will contest the 2018 harmonised        in its own rural strongholds.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)          elections, should they be serious about
chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba      their political ambitions, are probably      And whether it can claim these new
made an impor tant national                  frenetically crunching the electoral         registered young voters did so as
announcement in February 2018.               numbers. And this should be in at least      mobilised by the party or as a result of
                                             three respects.                              its own factionalism. And in the latter,
Speaking at a Parliamentary committee                                                     which faction in or out of power can
on Justice and Legal affairs organised       Firstly, they need to crosscheck their       persuade them to vote for the party in
meeting, she made it known that thus         own numbers (membership lists and so         its own perceived traditional
far (February 2018) in the Biometric         on) against those that the biometric voter   strongholds.
Voter Registration (BVR) process of the      registration process has produced so
5 million plus number of registered          far. That is to say, on their membership     The second key consideration for political
voters, 60% of them are between the          and supporter estimates, how many            parties in the 2018 harmonised election
ages of 18 and 40 years.                     young people of the same did they get        is the fact that they have to think about
                                             to finally become registered voters? In      the social aspects of the 60% young voter
If one expected the mainstream media         this they must then cross check their        demographic. Who exactly are these
to go apoplectic with this officially        own figures with those of ZEC. By            young people? What do they do? Where
announced statistic , it didn’t              polling station, ward, district, province.   and why? What is their gender?
happen. Across the state and the private
media in Zimbabwe. At least in the           Then after putting together their figures    Where they understand this, they then
immediacy of Justice Chigumba’s              and again, by way of the mathematical        fashion out policies that relate to solving
statement.                                   calculus that is ‘probability’, measure      problems that these young voters face
                                             the likely voter turnout in what they        in aide of giving democratic value to
Social media on the other hand went          perceive to be their respective              theircampaign requests for support from
slightly haywire. And this is particularly   strongholds. And after such a serious        these young voters.
with reference to users sympathetic to       process, work on the figures they
the mainstream opposition MDC-T and          perceive they do not have in areas that      Should the political parties hunker down
its informal offshoot, the MDC Alliance.     they know are not their traditional          to these key questions, they will find
They expressed their optimism in lieu        strongholds.                                 that a majority of young Zimbabweans
of the new ascendancy, controversial as                                                   are looking to survive. Not only by way
it may seem , of one of the appointed        I know its a hard ask especially of a        of subsistence (vendors, kombi drivers),
acting presidents of the same party,         divided but more significantly               but on a more ambitious, desired lifestyle
Nelson Chamisa.                              deliberately repressed Zimbabwean            basis (money-changers, car-dealers,

8            JUNE-JULY           2018
2018 elections:
informal wholesale suppliers, tobacco
farmers, ranchers, urban
transport/kombi owners). In their
wildest dreams they want the

                                                     panacea to
materialistic lifestyle that benefactors
can offer them.

                                                   transformation
Or they want to be left in political
patronage ‘peace’ to get there via the
many patronage, religious and other
networks that they are invariably

                                                   or more of the
part of.

The third and final consideration is that
of not forgetting the 40% by ostracising

                                                       same?
it in favour of the young voter. This is
particularly so because in most instances
the 40% remains decisive in ‘political’
opinion leadership and where it concerns
the rural vote is in the great majority of                                                     former leader, its tainted history over his
socio-economic leadership positions                                                            37-year rule is its Achilles heel.
(chiefs, headmen, teachers, businessmen,
and clergy).                                                                                   President Emmerson Mnangagwa has a
                                                                                               lot to prove and what his party has to offer
But more importantly, there is no single                                                       will not be considered in this year’s
political party that can win a majority                                                        context, but that of previous elections,
of the 60% young voters. They will                                                             the ones which brought ZIMASSET, the
require significant chunks of both the                                                         10-Point Plan, MERP and ZEDs.
40% and 60% to win the presidency and
                                                                                               It is very difficult for ZANU PF to promise
have a majority in parliament.                             By Leopold Munhende                 anything other than democracy in this
                                                                                               year’s elections, especially after failing to
And even if ZEC’s final figures reduce          It is a mistake to think that the upcoming     create the 2.2 million jobs they promised
the proportion of young voters to older         watershed elections will be fought in the      the ghetto youths now drowning in
ones, it will not be far from its initial       realm of ideas. That is an elitist approach    Broncleer (Bronco) deep down in Mbare.
registered young voters count of 60%.           which will not bear fruit this year.
                                                                                               It will not be easy for Zimbabweans to
Given our political realities, 60% alone        Those in the ghettos of urban settlements      accept the ‘new promises’ and forget the
will not win it for a singular party. But       and rural areas where we are from will         ‘old ones’ except of course if those
any serious political party will know that      support this assertion.                        Zimbabweans are part of the Mbare
it has its work cut out to get a majority                                                      Chimurenga Choir which in lightning
                                                This year’s elections are like that battle     speed had changed allegiance from Mugabe
of these registered young voters on
                                                between Will Smith’s Suicide Squad and         to ED.
their side.                                     The Enchantress in the movie, Suicide
                                                Squad. They are a literal fight between        Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal   good and evil and it will be folly to expect   Alliance) presidential candidate, Nelson
capacity (takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)        less than this thinking from the electorate.   Chamisa’s presidential card will not pass
                                                Ask me, I live in the ghetto and am from       because he has promised bullet trains,
                                                the rural areas.                               airports or $15 billion from US President
                                                                                               Donald Trump. Chamisa stands a chance
                                                ZANU PF is The Enchantress, it has been        to win the next election because he is
                                                there since before our time, has been given    offering hope to the people of Zimbabwe.
                                                a mandate to govern and failed countless
                                                times. Though it was ‘rejuvenated’ by the      After close to four decades in the
                                                November 2017 coup which toppled its           doldrums, Chamisa stands as the only way

                                                                                                 JUNE-JULY             2018              9
tyranny within the country. I have no idea
                                                                                            what exactly she stands for except that she
                                                                                            wants to be president too.

                                                                                            Coalition of Democrats (CODE)
                                                                                            presidential candidate, Elton Mangoma is
                                                                                            a good man, but his noble project is not
                                                                                            for this generation. He is a principled
                                                                                            leader but with the euphoria that Chamisa
                                                                                            has brought and the ‘heroic’ ED, he might
                                                                                            not be visible in the final lap.

                                                                                            If ED legitimately takes power in this year’s
                                                                                            elections we should expect an economically
                                                                                            liberal but politically autocratic state.
                                                                                            Mnangagwa might take a capitalist
                                                                                            approach to governance as he has already
                                                                                            hinted by opening us up to business at
through which Zimbabweans can finally         Words mean a lot in politics but history      Davos, in China and at any other
put a nail in the coffin of Mugabeism which   has a way of coming back to haunt and         opportunity he has been given to say
is manifesting itself in ED and vice          judge even the most powerful men.             ‘Zimbabwe is open
president, Constantino Guvheya                It is easy to talk about ZANU PF and the      for business.’
Nyikadzino Chiwenga.                          MDC Alliance while forgetting the
                                              other parties.                                He might represent economic development
Of course, the opposition leader seems to                                                   but will definitely retain the disastrous
get over excited whenever he gets close       However, it is important for the media to     oppressive characteristics of his father,
to a microphone and ends up going the         cover the more than 120 political parties     Mugabe. More of the same.
White City way where he told the world        and alliances which have mushroomed
that former vice President Joshua Nkomo’s     these past two years. This will assist the    His greatest undoing is the doubt which
family had endorsed him.                      electorate in making informed decisions.      Zimbabweans have about him whenever
                                              The question is still the same. What do       they consider his label as ‘Mugabe’s
Chamisa is offering bullet trains and an      they offer?                                   henchman,’ or the spine chilling ‘Garwe’
airport for each town, which simply                                                         (crocodile).
translates to economic and infrastructural    The challenge with these other political
development.                                  parties and alliances is that they are made   Chamisa despite all the hope the youths
                                              up of disgruntled politicians who after       have in him, he is not a Morgan Tsvangirai.
I understand though, ZANU PF rule under       being chucked out of the ‘big brother’        He has many more flaws but what
former president, Robert Mugabe limited       parties seek either to spoil the party or     Zimbabweans can expect under his rule is
Zimbabwe’s dreams. That autocratic son        gain power so as to have the last laugh.      the return of the rule of law which is the
of Gushungo drilled doubt into our hearts     It is very difficult to talk of Rainbow       main thing lacking in Zimbabwe if we are
and that is the reason it took so long for    Coalition presidential candidate, Joice       to move forward as a country.
him to go.                                    Teurai Ropa Mujuru’s campaign without
                                              taking into cognisance the reason she is in   With proper planning and implementation,
This is no ordinary election. Not only        opposition and how it came about. It is       he alone can unseat the Junta. He stands
because the two figures (the late MDC-T       necessary to remember that she too was        a better chance of leading Zimbabwe into
leader Morgan Tsvangirai and former           part of the Zimbabwean failure and only       the promised land which Chiwenga and
president Mugabe), who have dominated         got into opposition politics after being      ED were made to believe was theirs for
the Zimbabwean political scene are no         bundled out of the revolutionary party by     the taking by Zion Christian Church (ZCC)
longer part of it but because of the ‘1980    the former first lady, Grace Mugabe, in       leader, Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi.
Independence’ feeling it is exuding.          humiliating fashion.
                                                                                            Leopold Munhende is the communications officer
No one can guarantee that under Chamisa,      Though she is now a critique of the system,   with Young Journalists Association (YOJA) . He
the country will experience growth and        her ties to the oppressive ZANU PF system     is based in Harare and can be contacted on
at the same time no one can dispute that      can never be questioned. At one time she      leopoldkm17@gmail.com
Mnangagwa is Mugabe’s protégé. They ran       declared that ZANU PF is the only home
down the country together.                    she knew. I doubt that Mujuru, having been
                                              part of the system can succeed to end

10           JUNE-JULY           2018
Defining the freeness and
fairness of the election process
                                             opposition alliance which is led by           are respected. These include, freedom of
                                             Advocate Nelson Chamisa is seeking as         speech and expression by electors, parties,
                                             many as 10 electoral reforms that include     candidates and the media, freedom of
                                             scaling down the role of military or ex-      association; that is, freedom to form
                                             military officials in the electoral           organisations such as political parties and
                                             commission, an audit of the voters’ roll,     NGOs. Freedom of assembly, to hold
                                             transparency in the procurement of ballot     political rallies and to campaign. Freedom
                                             papers and voting materials, and the          of access to and by electors to transmit
                                             presence of international observers during    and receive political and
                                             the elections.                                electoral messages.
           By Philemon Jambaya
                                             President Emerson Mnangagwa has               “ Freedom to register as an elector, a
Elections are a central feature of           promised a free and fair election, but can    party or a candidate. Freedom from
democracy. For elections to express the      he walk the talk for a man who is accused     violence, intimidation or coercion.
will of the electorate, they must be ‘free   of toppling Mugabe out of power using         Freedom of access to the polls by electors,
and fair’.                                   military back up.                             party agents and accredited observers.
                                                                                           Freedom to exercise the franchise in
‘Free’ means that all those entitled to      “We will ensure that Zimbabwe delivers        secret and freedom to question, challenge
vote have the right to be registered and     free, credible, fair and indisputable         and register complains or objections
to vote and must be free to make their       elections to ensure Zimbabwe engages          without negative repercussions.
choice. In Zimbabwe every citizen over       the world as a qualified democratic state,”   (Kapuya 2004).
the age of 18 is entitled to vote.           Mnangagwa said.
                                                                                           Can the Mnangagwa-led government
An election is considered ‘free’ when you    Mnangagwa is also accused of being            ensure all this prior to the 2018 plebiscite?
can decide whether or not to vote and        behind the 2008 violence which saw more       We have seen people in rural areas being
vote freely for the candidate or party of    than 100 people being killed during the       asked to produce their registration slips
your choice without fear or intimidation.    27 June 2008 (presidential election) run-     to ZANU PF activists in rural and urban
A ‘free’ election is also one where you      off.                                          areas something which is illegal.
are confident that who you vote for          Can we trust this man to bring a credible
remains your secret.                         election in Zimbabwe? if he loses can he      Zanu PF has been moving around giving
                                             hand over power to the opposition?            people food and denying opposition
‘Fair’ means that all registered political   Manangagwa might benefit from a strong        supporters such aid accusing them of
parties have an equal right to contest the   wave of optimism generated by the end         being “sell outs”. Can we expect a free
elections, campaign for voter support and    of Mugabe’s rule                              and fair election from such people.
hold meetings and rallies.This gives them                                                  Tawanda Chimhini the Director of
a fair chance to convince voters to vote     Zanu-PF will also gain from the weakness      Election Resource Centre offered some
for them.                                    of the main opposition, the Movement          solutions for Zimbabwe to achieve a
                                             for Democratic Change, which has been         credible election process.
A fair election is also one in which all     rocked by internal disputes since the death
voters have an equal opportunity to          of former Prime Minister Dr Morgan            For Zimbabwe to achieve a free and fair
register, where all votes are counted, and   Tsvangirai who died in February this year.    elections our chiefs in rural areas should
where the announced results reflect the                                                    be politically neutral rather than siding
actual vote totals.                          According to Tapera Kapuya: “A ‘free’         with one political party, there must be a
                                             electoral process is one where                return to constitutionalism. This means
To ensure credible elections, the            fundamental human rights and freedoms         that Mnangagwa must respect

                                                                                             JUNE-JULY             2018           11
The military factor
constitutional constraints on his power
such as term limits and that the security
forces must agree to respect the outcome
of elections and not seek to influence

                                              and the 2018 elections
them regardless of the liberation
credentials of the successful party
or candidates.

Human rights must be protected. It is
essential that both the military and          THE moment one echoes ‘elections’ in an
ZANU-PF commit to this principle.Their        African locale, violence nippily unsettles
failure to do so has been a constant          the political nerves of the electorate mostly
problem in previous elections. Zimbabwe       in the rural communities.
needs to see an end to the intimidation
of voters and the politicisation of food       In the Zimbabwean context, the military
aid and other services, especially in         meddling in politics on partisan lines is
rural areas.                                  unconstitutional and thus, Mr Robert
                                              Mugabe (for mer president), had
The military has taken on a more              legitimacy challenges after every election.
                                                                                                             By Costah Nkomo
prominent political role because of its
                                              Having mentioned this, drawing lines for
removal of Mugabe and its installation of
                                              the military and urging them to stay out          legitimacy sake in this election.
Mnangagwa in power. This needs to be
                                              of polls as European Union has already
swiftly reversed. A free and fair election
                                              advised, becomes a huge and primary               Zimbabwe’s political environment
can only happen under a civilian
                                              requisite for free, fair and credible elections   especially during the election period is
government.
                                              in Zimbabwe this year.                            compounded and led by liberation struggle
                                                                                                phobia. This sets up a war mode which
The military, therefore, needs to return      The military’s presence in rural areas on         contradicts the conduct of fair, free and
to barracks and there needs to be a public    the eve of the election entrenches fear           credible elections in July. The military
commitment that all security forces,          among the people and it is a                      henceforth should be withdrawn from
including the police, are meant to serve      disenfranchisement stratagem targeted at          villages for the chlorination of the electoral
and protect all the people of Zimbabwe        opposition’s voters. Deploying the army           environment.
without fear or favour.                       in rural areas also violates the Constitution,
                                              precisely Section 211 (3) which says: “The        This will also promote freedom of
These changes need to be effectively          defence forces must respect the                   association which forms one of the
communicated so that ordinary                 fundamental rights and freedoms of all            fundamental keys to free, fair and
Zimbabweans know that they can                persons and be non-partisan, national in          credible elections.
participate in the election without risking   character, patriotic, professional and
their personal safety.                        subordinate to the civilian authority as          The elections are also being conducted on
                                              established by this constitution.”                the back of the military’s declaration that
This means that the government needs                                                            the army will not salute civilian leadership
to lead in the peace and reconciliation       Reading Section 211 together with Section         in the event that he or she wins an election.
process, to acknowledge past wrongs,          214, fur ther elaborates the                      This statement, MDC-T president (Nelson
apologise to victims and persuade the         unconstitutionality of the deployment of          Chamisa) has called for it to be reversed
population that similar things will not       the army in the rural areas. Section 214          so that the election is conducted on a
happen again.                                 reads in part: “the President must cause          corrected bad precedence.
                                              Parliament to be informed, promptly and
                                              in appropriate detail, of the reasons for         Sanity must be restored in the Zimbabwe
Philemon Jambaya is a social political        their deployment and (1) where they are           Electoral Commission (ZEC) so that it
commentator                                   deployed in Zimbabwe ...”                         conducts itself autonomously before and
                                                                                                during elections in a transparent manner.
                                              President Emmerson Mnangagwa has not              ZEC needs a serious cleansing amid
                                              told parliament about army deployment             allegations that more than half of its
                                              in rural areas. Thus, upholding the               working staff comprises of serving and
                                              Constitution becomes important for                retired military personnel. The military is

12           JUNE-JULY           2018
alleged to be fronting President Emmerson          rural areas. Their position influences the        media’s universal grand design which is to
Mnangagwa’s candidature just like they             election outcome, a pattern that has              disseminate infor mation on an
did with Mr Robert Mugabe before.                  characterised Zimbabwe’s elections. The           impartial basis.
In that regard, demilitarisation of ZEC is         2013 Zimbabwe-adopted constitution
another prerequisite for credible elections        draws the line for traditional chiefs,            This is the fourth estate’s great commission
to succeed in Zimbabwe.                            advising them to conduct themselves in            in which the expectation is to discharge
                                                   an apolitical manner.                             watchdogging roles on the executive,
Still on ZEC, the ballot paper printing and                                                          judiciary and the parliamentarians. For
ink to be used for voting processes must           Section 281 (2) says: “Traditional leaders        Zimbabwe to have fair, free and credible
be treated with uttermost democratic               must not be members of any political party        elections the media’s original commission
respect. Chamisa, speaking at the launch           or in any way participate in partisan politics    must be restored first. The state media
of the peace document in the capital               ... fur ther the interests of any                 should be encouraged to give all political
(Harare) said: “We will not do anything            political party.”                                 players equal space. This will enable the
without dealing with the issue of ballot                                                             electorate to sufficiently elect contestants
papers and the ink that is going to be used.       On the contrary, the Election Resource            on informed basis.
                                                   Centre (ERC) in January 2018 dragged
 On this one we are prepared to surrender          the Chiefs Council boss, Fortune                  Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, has
ourselves before we surrender our victory,         Charumbira, to court over his allegiance          often been employed as an intimidating
this is so important.”                             to Zanu PF which he pronounced publicly           tool on the eve and during elections in the
                                                   urging traditional leaders to support Zanu        past. The famous video footage that used
 All contesting parties should be served           PF in this coming election.                       to dominate adverts on ZBC TV’s prime
with the information regarding the number                                                            time, shows two cars colliding in a fatal
of ballot papers to be used in this election.      Traditional chiefs have thus been turned          accident followed by a non-sympathetic
The ink to be used must be known. All              into Zanu PF political commissars                 voice saying: “Another is to die, don’t
the contracted companies to supply all             embarking on an intimidation overdrive            commit suicide, vote Zanu PF and live.”
concerned election material must be                and politically victimising defenceless           The international election observer team
clearly known to all contesting parties.           villagers. Going forward, traditional chiefs      must be allowed to assess ZEC’s capability
ZEC must also submit voters roll for               should revise and retract the statement           to conduct elections. The observer team
inspection to all political contestants and        made by their boss Mr Charumbira. This            must be also served with information to
there must be a rational satisfaction from         will set a conducive environment for              do with ballot paper printing for them to
the contestants. ZEC need to act in good           credible elections.                               approve the outcome.
faith with the number of polling stations
intended to ser ve the electorate.                 Another critical benchmark in order for           Costah Nkomo is a journalist with 263Chat.
                                                   this election to produce accepted outcomes        He writes in his personal capacity.
The vote count must be transparent in the          is to allow the media to conduct itself
presence of all political par ties’                freely without being influenced along
representatives. In memory of Joseph               political party lines. This is in line with the
Stalin: “The people who cast the votes
decide nothing; the people who count the
votes decide everything.” Counting of votes
in this regard is the final important stage
and ZEC must be faithful in that regard.
The opposition political parties should also
play a role for the country to have an
accepted election outcome. They need to
set up a team comprising of technical,
legal and political experts as well as activists
who are immune to manipulation across
the country prior to and during the
election.

The team must be trained so that it watches
with vigilance in order to be able to pick
anomalies during voting and counting.
Another important area to look at is the
political positions of traditional chiefs in

                                                                                                        JUNE-JULY           2018           13
Upsurge in aspiring
                                             independent
           By Grace Mutandwa

Elections used to be easier and simpler
                                             candidates
                                             of political parties so they are going       candidates some potential voters said
when there were few political parties        it alone.                                    they were tired of empty promises from
to choose from.                                                                           seating councillors or Members of
                                             While competition in all spheres of life     Parliament, all drawn from political
But when you have 118 parties as well        including in politics is important and       parties, but it is hard to say if that will
as a large number of aspiring                good for democracy, the large number         translate into votes for independent
independent candidates, you are not just     of independent candidates will certainly     candidates.
spoilt for choice but quite confused too.    upset whatever gains in numbers the
                                             established political parties hope to get.   Some of the aspiring independent
Political parties provide a sense of         There are people who will only vote for      candidates have a chance of winning but
belonging and moral support for              Zanu PF, MDC-T (MDC Alliance) or             most will simply get the votes of those
candidates. They also frown on               Zapu, but every party wants to entice        who are not sold on party politics or
independence of thought which might          the fence sitters and these are the people   votes of those who are more fluid in
not be in line with what is dictated by      most likely to vote for independent          their choice of a candidate. They might
the leader. There is a slim chance or no     candidates.                                  not win but they will take away some
room for an independent mind in                                                           votes from the parties.
organised political parties.                 There are also voters who traditionally
                                             vote for specific parties but have with      There has been an argument advanced
As Zimbabwe heads for elections in July,     every election become less inclined to       that independent candidates will split
the number of people seeking public          vote for their party of choice but they      the vote, but this only rings true in a
office who feel restricted by party          might abstain from voting rather than        situation where they manage to entice
politics continues to increase. There are    vote for an independent candidate.           supporters of political parties to vote
young men and women who have                                                              for them, but most political supporters
registered their intention to contest for    It is a given that the two main parties,     in Zimbabwe are loyal to a fault when
council or legislative seats.                Zanu PF and the MDC Alliance will get        it comes to their suppor t and
                                             the most votes and seats, but an aspiring    membership to parties. They rarely if
They all have one thing in common - a        independent parliamentary candidate          ever stray from their voting patterns.
strong abhorrence for the restrictions       like Fadzayi Mahere stands a chance of
imposed by political parties. They also      winning the Mt Pleasant constituency.        Aspiring independent candidates assume
feel that political parties have failed to   Two or three independent candidates          they will hold sway over governing
drive economic change and to promote         might make it to parliament. There is        decisions, but the reality in a country
political renewal.                           also a chance that a few aspiring            such as Zimbabwe is that the ruling party
                                             independent councillors might also win.      always has control on how resources are
Disenchantment with traditional political                                                 allocated and how fast any projects on
parties has given rise to the number of      It is not just those running as              the ground will move. Voters know this
aspiring independent candidates. Some        independent candidates who feel they         and will likely take that into
of these aspiring candidates know exactly    have been failed by political parties, but   consideration when voting.
what it is that needs to be done to fix      some of the voters too.
Zimbabwe’s problems. They are                                                             There are people who have already made
determined to see change but they do         At the launch of the People’s Own Voice      up their minds about who they will vote
not want to be restrained by strictures      (POVO), a coalition of independent           for. There are also some people struck

14           JUNE-JULY           2018
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