ZIMBABWE-POLITICS: MULTIPARTY POLL A NO-CONTEST BEFORE IT BEGINS

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

LEWIS MACHIPISA

HARARE, Mar 14 1995 (IPS) - FEARS ARE GROWING THAT AS ZIMBABWE’S RULING PARTY HAS ALREADY WON A SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY EVEN BEFORE THE GENERAL ELECTIONS SET FOR NEXT MONTH KICK OFF, MANY VOTERS WILL SHUN THE POLLS.

AT THE CLOSE OF NOMINATIONS MONDAY, 52 RULING ZIMBABWE AFRICAN NATIONAL UNION-PATRIOTIC FRONT (ZANU-PF) CANDIDATES WERE UNOPPOSED — BRINGING TO 82 THE NUMBER OF THE RULING PARTY’S PARLIAMENTARIANS GUARANTEED SEATS IN THE 150-MEMBER HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.

PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE — WHO LED THE COUNTRY TO INDEPENDENCE FROM WHITE MINORITY RULE IN 1980 — APPOINTS EIGHT GOVERNORS AS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, 12 NON-CONSTITUENCY LEGISLATORS AND 10 CHIEFS CHOSEN BY THE COUNTRY’S TRADITIONAL LEADERS.

ESSENTIALLY, EVEN IF ZANU-PF LOSES IN ALL THE OTHER REMAINING CONSTITUENCIES, IT WOULD STILL RETAIN A PARLIAMENTARY MAJORITY.

“POLITICALLY THERE IS VERY LITTLE PURPOSE BEING SERVED BY THE ELECTIONS. WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR THE COUNTRY’S STABILITY AS IT RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM,” SAYS UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE LAW LECTURER, LOVEMORE MADHUKU.

“DONORS AND WESTERN GOVERNMENTS WILL VIEW ZIMBABWE AS A ONE- PARTY STATE AND INDEED IT IS,” SAYS MADHUKU. “AS IT IS RIGHT NOW THE RULING PARTY HAS WON BY DEFAULT. (ZANU-PF) CANNOT BOAST TO BE THE TRUE CHOICE OF THE PEOPLE.”

DESPITE ABANDONING IN 1990 THE GOAL OF MAKING ZIMBABWE A ONE- PARTY STATE, ZANU-PF REMAINS ESSENTIALLY MONOLITHIC IN ITS RULING STRUCTURE.

THIS HAS FORCED PEOPLE SUCH AS ELLIOT TSOKA TO “SERIOUSLY” REVISE HIS MIND ABOUT VOTING. “WHAT’S THE POINT OF VOTING IN A ONE-PARTY STATE? THE ELECTIONS HAVE NO MEANING AT ALL EVEN IF I WANTED TO VOTE FOR ZANU-PF,” SAYS THE LIFE INSURANCE BROKER, BASED IN THE CAPITAL HARARE.

MANDHLA-AKHE DUBE, OF THE ZIMBABWE STUDENT CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT (ZSCM), SAYS GOING AHEAD WITH THE ELECTIONS IS NOTHING MORE THAN “AN ENFORCEMENT OF A LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENT.”

“OTHERWISE THERE IS NO ELECTIONS TO TALK ABOUT,” ADDS DUBE. “AS A RESULT THEY WILL BE VOTER APATHY MOSTLY BY THE URBAN PEOPLE. EVEN THOUGH THE RURAL PEOPLE WILL VOTE IN LARGE NUMBERS, THEY ONLY DO SO TO ENDORSE THE EXISTENCE OF ZANU-PF FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF SURVIVAL.”

HOWEVER, MADHUKU URGES PEOPLE TO VOTE IN THE REMAINING CONSTITUENCIES WHICH NOW CONSTITUTE LITTLE MORE THAN 45 PERCENT OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS.

“THIS AT LEAST ASSURES THE OPPOSITION THAT ONE DAY THEY MIGHT MAKE IT. WE NEED OPPOSITION IN PARLIAMENT, EVEN IF IT IS THREE SEATS,” SAYS THE LAW LECTURER.

SIMILARLY, WHILE NOTING THERE IS NO POINT IN VOTING, GEORGE MUNGONI SAYS HE WOULD “STILL VOTE TO EXERCISE MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT”.

“THERE ISN’T REALLY ANY REASON FOR PEOPLE TO VOTE. BUT FOR THE SAKE OF EXERCISING MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT, I WILL VOTE. EVEN IF PEOPLE KNOW THE RESULT ALREADY, THEY SHOULD GO AND REGISTER A PROTEST VOTE,” SAYS MUNGONI, A HARARE RESIDENT.

FROM THE 20 POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS — THE LARGER PART OF THEM THEM FLY-BY NIGHT OR BRIEFCASE PARTIES — NINE HAVE BOYCOTTED THE ELECTIONS CLAIMING THE CONSTITUTION IS UNFAIR AND HEAVILY FAVOURS ZANU-PF.

BUT OBSERVERS SAY THAT BIASED CONSTITUTION OR NOT, THE OPPOSITION MUST BEAR A LARGE CHUNK OF THE BLAME FOR THE PRESENT LACK OF PLURALISM IN POLITICS.

THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM IS THAT ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE OPPOSITION PARTIES HAVE BEEN IN EXISTENCE SINCE THE LAST ELECTION IN 1990, NO SERIOUS CHALLENGE TO THE CONSTITUTION WAS MADE IN THE FIVE YEARS THAT PRECEDE THIS YEAR’S POLL.

AS A RESULT, POLITICAL ANALYSTS AND RULING PARTY OFFICIALS ALL DISMISS THE OPPOSITION AS INEFFECTUAL, CITING THE DIVISIONS WITHIN THE VARIOUS OPPOSITION CAMPS.

OF THE 150 PARLIAMENTARY SEATS, ONLY THREE BELONG TO THE OPPOSITION — EDGAR TEKERE’S ZIMBABWE UNITY MOVEMENT (ZUM) ACCOUNTING FOR TWO, WHILE VETERAN NATIONALIST NDABANINGI SITHOLE IS THE SOLE REPRESENTATIVE OF ZIMBABWE AFRICAN NATIONAL UNION- NDONGA (ZANU-NDONGA).

FORMED IN 1989, ZUM ENJOYED EARLY ELECTORAL SUPPORT AND TEKERE INITIAL POPULARITY AS PEOPLE WERE EAGER TO SEE SERIOUS OPPOSITION TO ZANU-PF’S HOPE FOR A ONE-PARTY STATE.

SURPRISINGLY THE PARTY HAS NOT FIELDED ANY CANDIDATE FOR THIS YEAR’S ELECTIONS.

LIKEWISE, THE FORUM PARTY OF ZIMBABWE (FPZ), HEADED BY THE INTERNATIONALLY RESPECTED FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE, ENOCK DUMBUTSHENA — AND TIPPED BY POLLSTERS AS THE PARTY TO GIVE MUGABE’S ZANU-PF A SERIOUS FRIGHT — IS NOW A VICTIM OF A CORROSIVE INTERNAL SCHISM.

FPZ HAS REGISTERED IN ONLY 15 CONSTITUENCIES, GIVING THE RULING ZANU-PF CANDIDATES A VIRTUALLY FREE PASSAGE TO PARLIAMENT.