The 2000 parliamentary and municipal elections were marred by widespread violence, intimidation and allegations of vote rigging. The controversy surrounding the conditions and conduct of the elections put a big smudge on the outcome of the poll. There was a strong feeling that Mugabe could have steered the process in a much better direction.
A rogue politician
The presidential election in 2002, and the subsequent parliamentary and municipal polls in 2005, were dogged by the same dispute. But it was the June 2008 presidential re-run that enhanced his image as a rogue politician. It would be extremely difficult to convince people that he was powerless to stop the murders, maiming and displacement of innocent civilians that took place then.
He was eerily silent when the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission withheld the results of the first round of the presidential poll held in March of the same year.
The conclusion that many local, regional and international observers made was that the commission, perceived to be partisan, did this in order to doctor the results.
Mugabe, like it or not, is now seen as a legally legitimate leader.He was a fearless fighter for the liberation of this country from colonial rule and a strong advocate of real social empowerment, particularly in the early years of independence. It is therefore sad that he has allowed his political CV to be grievously harmed. It is also tragic that, in spite of a popular position to defer the next general elections to a time when adequate reforms have been put in place, Mugabe, apparently at the behest of a militant coterie in Zanu (PF), still insists that they should be held this year.
Disastrous consequences
I share the sentiment by the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, that doing so would have disastrous consequences for the country.Hurried elections will not solve anything, whether that relates to Zanu (PF) internal politics or the national wellbeing. They will definitely offset more controversy and renew our isolation as a country. In short, they will take us back to the pre-GNU era.
Above all, they will seal Mugabe’s fate as an unpopular leader. I doubt that this is a bit that he would enjoy. He would never have another chance to salvage his image again, considering that he is inevitably running his last, and short, political lap.
If it is defeat that he is afraid of, then he should think again. There is honour in defeat too. Kenneth Kaunda is a good encyclopedia on that. He could have chosen to cling to power when it had become so clear that the Zambians had become tired of him, but he chose otherwise. Today, Kaunda stands tall and gets standing ovations wherever he goes. So, the ball is in Mugabe’s court. Either he remains stubborn and preoccupied with the vain attempt to show his capacity to retain power or lets up and demonstrates that he is capable of honouring the people’s wishes.
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Hurried elections, will they solve GNU problems? Tell us about it: Email: editor@thezimbabwean.co.uk
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Post published in: Opinions & Analysis
Mugabe’s name is mud; you know it, I know it, the whole world knows it and Mugabe, of all people knows it too! With a name like that one is not concerned about saving one’s popularity rating; it is survival that they are concerned about.
Mugabe, unlike Kenneth Kaunda, has the blood of tens of thousands innocent Zimbabweans on his hands. As long as he remains in office or at least has a Zanu PF diehard with blood on his or her hands too then he will never be called to account for his brutal past. Holding free and fair election would mean regime change if he lost the vote. That is simply unthinkable.
Look, for three and half years Mugabe has resisted the pressure to implement the agreed democratic reforms. Not even one reform has seen the light of day. The elections are at most twelve months away; Mugabe is not going to have a “Saul on the road to Damascus moment!†forcing him to accept reforms. That is simply not going to happen.
Tsvangirai has shown himself to be a blundering political weakling. Zimbabweans are desperate for political change but many of them now realise that they are not that desperate to risk life and limb voting for someone like him. In other words Mugabe will not need to use the same level of violence as in 2008 to “win†the next elections. He will use violence, after all he has “degrees in violence†he has boasted countless times and a reputation to keep; the violence will be subtle and targeted.
Mugabe’s primary concern is to ensure there is no REGIME CHANGE in Zimbabwe and to that end he will do everything in his power; maim, rape and murder – whatever it takes!
Mugabe’s name is mud; you know it, I know it, the whole world knows it and Mugabe, of all people knows it too! With a name like that one is not concerned about saving one’s popularity rating; it is survival that they are concerned about.
Mugabe, unlike Kenneth Kaunda, has the blood of tens of thousands innocent Zimbabweans on his hands. As long as he remains in office or at least has a Zanu PF diehard with blood on his or her hands too then he will never be called to account for his brutal past. Holding free and fair election would mean regime change if he lost the vote. That is simply unthinkable.
Look, for three and half years Mugabe has resisted the pressure to implement the agreed democratic reforms. Not even one reform has seen the light of day. The elections are at most twelve months away; Mugabe is not going to have a “Saul on the road to Damascus moment!†forcing him to accept reforms. That is simply not going to happen.
Tsvangirai has shown himself to be a blundering political weakling. Zimbabweans are desperate for political change but many of them now realise that they are not that desperate to risk life and limb voting for someone like him. In other words Mugabe will not need to use the same level of violence as in 2008 to “win†the next elections. He will use violence, after all he has “degrees in violence†he has boasted countless times and a reputation to keep; the violence will be subtle and targeted.
Mugabe’s primary concern is to ensure there is no REGIME CHANGE in Zimbabwe and to that end he will do everything in his power; maim, rape and murder – whatever it takes!