“I don’t see any problem with the elections. There will not be blood on the streets. The hard core in Zanu (PF) will not be able to raise its hand this time around. Things have moved too quickly for them,” said Biti in an exclusive interview.
“They have made so many predictions that have not been smart. They said there would be no constitution, but we now have a new constitution; they said the inclusive government would not last, but it has lasted,” he added.
However strife could accompany a transfer of power, he said. “The elections will be free and fair but, of course, there will be pockets of violence here and there. My main fear is that a militant group in Zanu (PF) will not accept Tsvangirai’s victory, so there will be an impasse that will last weeks or even months.
“In the long run, however, this hard core will succumb. The hand of God has intervened and we are on the last mile towards democratic transformation,” said an up-beat Biti.
Over the past decade, army generals and war veterans have vowed not to accept Tsvangirai as the President of Zimbabwe if when he wins the election, accusing him of not having participated in the anti-colonial war that brought majority rule in 1980.
But they have been quiet for some months now, and Mugabe has repeatedly called for peace during the elections.
Rugare Gumbo, the Zanu (PF) Secretary for Information and Publicity, dismissed the possibility of a post-election strife but implied that a militant group in the party could cause problems.
“The concern around power transfer has never arisen in our minds as a party because we don’t foresee MDC winning. But this is not to say I am dismissing the possibility of a coterie of hardliners in Zanu (PF) that does not like Tsvangirai and his party, but I am not aware of this grouping,” he told The Zimbabwean.
Observers say that, after years of vilification for his mis-governance and human rights abuses, Mugabe could be anxious to leave a legacy of credibility by ensuring that the elections, most likely the last he will see, are free and fair.
The hardliners in his party are reported to be unhappy with Mugabe’s decision to endorse the constitutional draft.
Post published in: News