Loosening the purse strings

Traditional chiefs, who have publicly backed Mugabe’s candidacy, have also seen their financial allowances raised.   

In a bid to appease rural voters, the government is once gain parcelling out farm machinery, described as “tractors for votes” by veteran commentator John Makumbe, a political science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe.   

Raising concerns

Political analyst Brian Raftopoulos, who has observed all of Zimbabwe’s elections since the arrival of the opposition MDC in late 1999, says a climate for free and fair elections does not currently exist.   

His views are endorsed by the South African Communist Party, which says there is no way the elections will be free and fair if the period leading up to the polls is not peaceful.

The South African Congress of Trade Unions (COSATU) says that each SADC country is supposed to follow the SADC guidelines, but the government of Zimbabwe blatantly deviates from the norms and the regional body never does a thing to condemn such actions.

The European Union is also reported to be very concerned about the humanitarian, political and economic situation and conditions on the ground.

Voting issues

The issue of postal voting for voters inside the country has once again been raised, this time in the Zimbabwe Standard.  Although postal voting is enshrined in Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is not included in the Zimbabwean constitution.   

However, the Electoral Act stipulates that “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely-chosen representatives” and that “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government;  this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”

Contrary to the requirements of the Electoral Act, ongoing arrests of opposition party members, the banning of voter meetings and door-to-door campaigns, as well as the disruption of rallies persists.   

Media watchdogs report that the state media continues to provide preferential and blatantly biased reporting in favour of the Mugabe government.  

At the recent launch of Zanu PF’s manifesto, in which Mugabe offered no solutions to resolve the escalating crisis, national chairman John Nkomo reiterated that losing elections was not an option.