Zim heading for disputed 2023 election
ZIMBABWE is likely to see a repeat of the 2018 disputed elections. The same conditions that preceded the 2018 polls still exist today, chief among them being Zanu PF's total control of the State media and Zec.
The opposition seems to downplay the influence the media as a tool of repression. The government has used the media to lie, threaten and cow people into submission, give false hope and decimate the opposition.
Opposition looks powerless to have this changed. But as long as we have the same conditions prevailing as we move towards 2023, then some of us can clearly see 2023 as just a repeat of the 2018 sham election.
The same systematic rigging that was employed in previous elections initially through the Registrar-General's Office are still in use today.
In 2018, Zec made sure to bottleneck voter registration in areas considered opposition strongholds while promoting swift registration in areas that Zanu PF has advantage.
Civic groups, opposition and all democratic forces must combine to have their voices heard and do away with Zec partisanship. As long this bigotry by Zec continues, it is a waste of time to hold the 2023 elections.
In 2018, we witnessed long queues of voters in urban areas and by the end of election day, many people could not cast their votes. But in “Uzumba” we have calculated from the results that as many as 20 people were voting per minute. These are areas where we expected to have many people who needed assistance in casting their ballots. So here we observe two bottlenecks, the first filters voters by not registering them to vote, the second one is in casting ballots. This is an overt, deliberate move to disenfranchise opposition supporters to give an advantage to Zanu PF.
In the remote areas, agricultural inputs and food are distributed along party lines such that impoverished and desperate villagers are forced to vote for the party that provides aid. Many are tortured and killed for supporting the opposition.
Zec is still deep in the hands of the military. In 2017, the military carried out a coup to ensure change of power from the late Robert Mugabe to Emmerson Mnangagwa. The military has always showed signs of partisanship, aligning itself openly with Zanu PF.
The military has always ensured that the ruling party remains in power. In 2008, the military took over the counting of ballots after it became apparent that Mugabe was losing to the late Morgan Tsvangirai.
The military urged Mugabe to refuse to hand over power. Ever since, nothing has changed and now the military has instead staffed Zec with its personnel so that it can closely control it.
Changing the composition of staff is difficult, but lobbying for more registering centres, more polling stations, and expediting voter processing in marginalised areas may be easier.
On the other hand, no reforms have been carried out. The Statecontrolled media is used exclusively by Zanu PF.