Primary polls: A litmus test for intra-party democracy

AS THE nation waits for the 2018 harmonised elections later this year, the major political parties are gearing up for their internal polls which will determine who will represent the candidate on the ballot. At the presidential level, all seems settled though the number of people announcing their intention to run for the premier job in the country is growing with each week. When nomination opens, however, the public will get the true picture of who is participating.

At every other level; Senate, Parliament and council, political parties still have to decide who they will be fielding. Primary elections will therefore be held soon where individuals interested in running for political office will face off in a poll decided by members of the party.

Not all parties will conduct primary elections and not every party which does so will have a primary in every ward or constituency.

But there will be a number of primaries of which the results of which could give some indicators ahead of the national election expected in July.

The first thing is that candidates will be decided. Political parties will know who is going to be representing them and these people can go out to their various areas and campaign for themselves and their presidential candidate.

Thus far, the major political parties, Zanu-PF and MDC have focused on their presidential candidates which is the main prize, however, as the principals are only one person, they cannot cover every part of the country every day.

With potential councillors and MPs decided, these candidates can continue the work of mobilising constituents to vote for the party they represent, easing the pressure off the party leader.

The primaries are also an opportunity for parties to gauge the enthusiasm of their base. As it is only party members allowed to vote, one can assess the size of their support and also the general feeling towards candidates.

These primaries will be telling in similar and different ways for both Zanu-PF and MDC. Both parties go into this election with a new leader at the helm. There have also been splits in the two parties while the MDC is dealing with a coalition issue.

The first thing the two parties should look to do is get rid of the dead wood. There is an opportunity for fresh blood to be injected into the halls of Parliament and both parties should take advantage of letting go of party members who offer no new ideas or physical input to the development of Zimbabwe.

Each party should reflect on its current state and make decisions that will leave it stronger once the primaries are complete.

For Zanu-PF, the primary election can help to unify the party or cause more fissures. It is no secret that until the events of November 2017, factionalism was rife in Zanu-PF. Now, under President Mnangagwa it seems to have subsided, also because the alleged leaders of the G40 faction are no longer within the party.

But one should not be naïve to think that all those who supported G40 left. It is likely that a number remained and will even contest in the primary elections.

For Zanu-PF it is therefore imperative that these primaries are open and transparent. Any imposition of candidates will unsettle the base and either cause defections to rival parties or incite apathy among voters.

The party should actually look to balancing the relationship between the different sides and interests within it. The war veterans, the youth and the women are all significant and influential stakeholders.

Each group should have a fair shot at fielding candidates and where no primaries are being held, candidates should be selected on merit and ability to best serve the constituency or ward. No one should feel entitled to running in this election.

The ruling party needs to realise the changing dynamic in national landscape in terms of demographic and aspirations. As such candidates in the coming elections who are to be representatives of the masses should be reflection of the country’s population composition.

MDC Alliance should also make smart decisions about the candidates they will field. There are several layers that the Alliance is going to have to deal with that could impact how strong they are by the time the national polls take place.

Their first major hurdle is for the parties to decide how seats are going to be divided among Alliance members. This negotiation has been going on for some time, but with Thokozani Khupe splitting from the MDC-T, it changes the dynamic as anyone who might have felt entitled, but is snubbed could easily leave to join with Khupe or Joice Mujuru.

Balancing the Alliance will take for all parties involved to compromise and this will likely lead to sacrifices some might not be willing to put up with. There are already signs of trouble, Harare East being one such example with Tendai Biti and Obert Gutu set to square off if the rumours are to be believed.

Another issue that the Alliance has to deal with is putting into practice what they preach. The message Nelson Chamisa and his party have chosen to run with is generational consensus. One wonders whether this will be reflected in party candidates chosen to run for elections or if it will be familiar faces and older members of the party put forward.

Does the MDC Alliance have the capacity to field younger candidates in local government and parliamentary elections? If they do not end up doing so overall, their message will be in direct conflict with their actions and cause one to question their sincerity.

It is uncertain when primary elections will be completed, but for all political parties the sooner the better. Although these are internal party processes, the people who make the decisions at this stage are also ordinary voters.

These party members should properly assess the candidates presented to them in the primaries. They should choose individuals with the capacity to best represent their interests should they be chosen to be a councillor or MP.

Zimbabwe more than anything needs competent people in political office with a passion to see the country develop. Primary elections are the first step for a portion of the public to make a decision on who will be making future decision for the country.

Choosing the best candidates at this stage will only be profitable for everyone by the time the harmonised polls take place. Parties should commit themselves to holding free and fair primaries and promote their candidates to strive for excellence.