Zimbabweans are gearing up for an upcoming election scheduled for next week, with high hopes that it might finally bring an end to the country’s prolonged economic crisis. However, these aspirations are met with reservations due to concerns that the electoral competition might be biased in favor of a political party that has maintained its dominance for over four decades.
Once endowed with abundant mineral resources, Zimbabwe was formerly acknowledged as one of Africa’s thriving economies. However, its economic stability took a downturn in 2000 when former leader Robert Mugabe orchestrated the forceful appropriation of white-owned farms, resulting in the resettlement of land-deprived Black citizens.
In 2017, after 37 years in power, Mugabe was deposed through a military coup and succeeded by his longstanding ally, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Despite optimistic expectations for an economic revival during that period, the desired turnaround has remained elusive.
The imminent election features a roster of 11 presidential candidates, yet the true competition materializes between 80-year-old Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa, a 45-year-old attorney and pastor who spearheads the opposition under the banner of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC). It’s noteworthy that this election encompasses not only the presidential race but also the selection of legislators and local council leaders.
The outcome of Mnangagwa’s triumph in the 2018 election faced unsuccessful challenges from the opposition. Analysts versed in political dynamics predict a potential recurrence of such disputes. While the ruling ZANU-PF party dismisses allegations from the opposition about an uneven playing field, doubts about the fairness of the election process linger.
“Of course, we are headed for another disputed election,” said political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya, referring to a dispute over the voters roll as one contentious issue.
The Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) has initiated legal action against the electoral commission, seeking access to electronic versions of the voters’ roll to facilitate thorough searching and analysis.
The electoral commission’s response has been that printed versions of the roll have been furnished to all participating parties. The decision regarding the CCC’s request is still pending in court. This legal pursuit is among a series of court challenges undertaken by the opposition in anticipation of the upcoming election.
Furthermore, concerns about voter intimidation, particularly in the rural regions of the nation with a population of 15 million, have been raised by the Electoral Resource Centre (ERC), an organization monitoring the voting process.
“General public sentiment, as noted in several surveys, reveals that people have very little confidence in the electoral process as well as the election management body in the country,” ERC said in a statement on Monday.
Despite claims that they have primarily targeted opposition campaigns, police have halted some of the opposition’s gatherings and claim that they have done so for the sake of public safety.
The opposition also claims that ZANU-PF supporters have physically intimidated some of its activists and that its followers are frequently detained under Zimbabwe’s strict public order laws.
“The odds are many. We’ve also seen a number of our supporters being intimidated and harassed, but citizens remain defiant. People are ready and mobilised for change,” CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere told reporters on Wednesday.
ZANU-PF says it is not favoured by the courts, police or public media. At a news conference on Thursday, ZANU-PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa denied allegations of voter intimidation and unfair electoral processes.
He accused the opposition of being “obsessed with criticising the electoral process so that they have something to say after losing”.
‘BAD’ HUMAN RIGHTS
Wilbert Mandinde, an official at the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, said the human rights situation “has been bad” during the campaign.
“We believe that it is not proper for members of the opposition to have to struggle to gather, to have to struggle to campaign,” said Mandinde.
Mnangagwa narrowly defeated Chamisa in the 2018 election, which the opposition disputed over alleged irregularities. The president’s victory was upheld by the Constitutional Court.
The opposition is hoping it can defy the odds and win this time, riding on frustrations over the longrunning economic crisis.
Political analysts say young voters who have never known a prosperous Zimbabwe could play a significant role in the election. One-sixth of the registered electorate are first-time voters.