"Opposition must have competent agents at all Polling Stations to stop rigging" - Is free elections a right or privilege P Guramatunhu

 The 2008 Zimbabwe elections were an eye opener in that Zanu PF was able to show the whole world the full range of the party’s vote rigging abilities.

 

When the November 2020 vote count was going against him, USA President Donald Trump ordered the vote counting to stop. There was no rational reason to stop counting and so the officials, even in those States governed by Republicans, Trump’s party, ignored him the vote counting continued.

 

In 2008 when Zanu PF realised the party was doing badly; Mnangagwa, by his own account, ordered the announcement of the election results to be stopped and it was stopped immediately. ZEC was ordered to recount the votes and the results were announced in small batches over the next six weeks, with the presidential results being announced last.

 

Morgan Tsvangirai had polled 73%, according to Mugabe’s Freudian slip, and at the end of the six weeks of cooking the figures this had been whittled down to 47%, enough to force the run-off.

 

The run-off was all about punishing the people of Zimbabwe for having rejected Zanu PF and Mugabe in the March 2008 vote. The party launched Operation “Mavhotera papi?” (Whom did you vote for?) It was a rhetorical question because the party already knew the people had voted in droves for the opposition and was just out to mete out the punishment. The party used the war veterans and the party’s youth militia to destroy property, harass, beat and rape ordinary people suspected of voting for the opposition. The heavy lifting of abducting and killing opposition supporters were left to the Army, Police and CIO personal working together with the Zanu PF leaders.

 

“What was accomplished by the bullet cannot be undone by the ballot!” thundered Robert Mugabe as Operation Mavhotera papi took its heavy toll. Millions of Zimbabweans were harassed and beaten and over 500 were murdered.

 

“Mugabe has declared war on the people!” complained Morgan Tsvangirai as he announced his withdrawal from the run-off.

 

For the first time ever, SADC and AU leaders, known for giving a thumbs up to dodgy elections in Zimbabwe and across Africa, joined the international community in condemning the 2008 Zimbabwe elections. SADC refused to recognise Zanu PF as the legitimate government and forced Mugabe to agree on the need to implement a raft democratic reforms designed to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free and fair elections.

 

A Government of National Unity (GNU) comprising Robert Mugabe, who was President, and his Zanu PF and the two MDC factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai, who became Prime Minister, was formed and its principal task was to implement the democratic reforms. Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trapping of high office and, with their snouts in the feeding trough, they forgot about the reforms.

 

SADC leaders, literally, begged Tsvangirai and company not to participate in the 2013 elections until reforms designed to stop a repeat of the blatant vote rigging of 2008 were implemented. “If you go into the elections next month, you will lose; the elections are done!” they told Tsvangirai and company to their faces!

 

Tsvangirai and company ignored the SADC leaders’ warning and, as predicted, Zanu PF went on to blatantly rig the 2013 elections.

Tsvangirai complained that Zanu PF had “stole the 2013 elections!” No one of substance paid any attention to him since he had been warned this would happen. In the 2014 MDC-T party congress the party adapted a party resolution not to participate in future elections until reforms are implemented. “No reform, no elections!” they announced.

 

The party soon forgot the resolution not to participate in future elections without first implementing the reforms. The MDC-T joined by three other MDC factions formed the MDC Alliance (MDC A) and participated in the 2018 elections.

 

As expected Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2018 elections.

 

The real reason MDC leaders have participated in the 2013 and then 2018 elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections is greed. It was greed that made MDC leaders forget about implementing the reforms throughout the five years of the GNU. Zanu PF had learnt then that as long as MDC leaders are given a share of the spoils of power, they will do Zanu PF’s bidding – forget implement the reforms during the GNU and participate in flawed elections thereafter.

 

David Coltart, MDC A senator and Minister in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, not only confessed that greed is the motive participating these flawed election but, worst of all, that by participating the opposition is giving the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the (2013) elections,” confessed Senator Coltart his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

 

No opposition politician worth his/her salt will ever openly admit (David Coltart has never ever commented on the above quotation, I am sure he agonised over it) that they are participating in these flawed elections out of greed much less that doing is undermining the drive for reforms and free and fair elections. And so, the nation is bombarded by all manner of foolish proposals on how the opposition can win rigged elections.

 

“When you have manual counting happening and you don’t have someone competent enough, who do you blame?” argued Norton MP Themba Mliswa, formerly with Zanu PF and now Independent.

 

“Most of the political parties, even (MDC Alliance leader Nelson) Chamisa, did not have polling agents at most of the polling stations in 2018. As a presidential candidate, whatever happens, you cannot blame the system.”

 

This is all nonsense of course for a number of reasons, will name five:

 

1)      There are many, many ways Zanu PF has rigged elections long before the first ballot is cast and hence the reason why SADC talked of “election is done!” For example, Zanu PF has just announced that 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora will once again be denied the vote in 2023. President Mnangagwa himself had said in September 2018 that they will have the vote in 2023.

 

2)     In 2013 ZEC increased the number of Polling Stations from 2 000 in 2008 to 9 000 and the contestants were only told of the additional polling station two days before voting day. In 2018 the number of Polling Station was increased to 11 000 and 10% of them were never announced. ZEC had three different vote tallies of the votes which the commission could not reconcile because it did not have all the V11 forms, the summary of vote counts at each Polling Station, proof that even ZEC itself did not have ZEC officials at some Polling Stations; how the hell does one expect the opposition to have election agents at these ghost Polling Stations.

 

3)     Even if the opposition where told the name of each and every Polling Station in advance given the regime’s power and influence it is quite possible that many of the officials involved in the voting will turn a blind eye to Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans and therefore the opposition will need election agents double and cross checking every aspect of the voting, counting, addition, etc.; any impossible task at 11 000 Polling Stations.

 

4)     The very idea that Zanu PF should be allowed to keep its carte blanche powers to rig elections and the electorate must not only jump through all manner of hoops including risking life and limb, if Zanu PF should ever dim it necessary to use wanton violence to secure electoral victory; is an outrage. Free, fair and credible elections are a God given right and not a privilege that some dictator can give to some and deny to others. The idea of winning rigged elections is insane and idiotic and must be thrown out with contempt it rightly deserves.

 

Zimbabweans must demand the full implementation of the democratic reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. In the 2023 elections go ahead with no reforms in place then the process must be declared null and void and the emerging government declared illegitimate.