I still hold that view and I suspect that this time around, Mugabe may find it rather difficult to rig the elections for a number of reasons. For starters, Mugabe and his crumbling party do not really know who their friends and their foes are in this power game come March 29. They do not know who among the persons responsible for the rigging machinery are loyal to Mugabe or to Makoni or to Tsvangirai.
They are not certain that the rigging machinery is not just as split as Zanu (PF) is given the numerous independent electoral candidates that filed their nomination papers last Friday. What if some of the key persons responsible for the rigging machinery are more inclined to rig the ballot in favour of either Tsvangirai or Makoni rather than Mugabe? Worse still, what if all the “riggers” decide not to rig the elections and allow the best candidates to win? This is a real nightmare to Mugabe who is fully aware that he can never win a contest against either Tsvangirai or Makoni.
The second reason why it might be tricky for Mugabe and Zanu (PF) to get away with a stolen election this time is that the Electoral Act in chapter 2:13 deals with the issues of what happens if none of the presidential candidates obtains a majority of the total number of votes that will have been cast in a presidential election.
Section 110(2) of the Electoral Act provides that “Where two or more candidates are nominated and no candidate receives a majority of the total number of the valid votes cast, a second election”, must be held within 21 days after the previous election. Section 110(4) provides that in the second election, or what we normally refer to as the run off, only the two candidates who will have received the highest and second highest number of valid votes cast in the first election will be eligible to contest.
But if the top two candidates receive an equal number of votes in the first election, then Parliament must, as soon as practicable, after the declaration of the results of that election, meet as an electoral college to elect one of the two candidates as President by secret ballot and without prior debate. In the light of the sudden break up or splits within both the MDC and Zanu (PF), the results of such a parliamentary ballot could be very interesting, indeed.
We live in exciting times and in an exciting country. It is therefore quite clear that an absolute majority is required for any presidential candidate to be declared the winner. Any results that fail to produce a candidate with a fifty-one per cent of the valid votes will require a run off. In the forthcoming election, with three rather strong candidates, the possibility of all the candidates obtaining less than the requisite 51% or higher cannot be ruled out.
The need for as many people to turn out to vote cannot be over-emphasized in this election. It is absolutely imperative that the various parties and candidates that are contesting this election mobilise as many voters as possible in order to make vote rigging very difficult for those of a deceitful inclination. As noted earlier, the rigging machinery may itself be divided with regards to whom to rig the election in favour of.
The best practice would therefore be to allow the people of this wretched country to speak through their votes. Sheer numbers may well incapacitate the Zanu (PF) rigging machinery this time around. God bless Zimbabwe.
Post published in: News