Flawed and, probably, fraudulent elections were held last week in a climate of fear. As expected, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe’s unpopular president, and his governing Zanu-PF were returned to power.
Remarkably, however, this time around the victory margin was just above 50%, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), an opposition coalition, managed to secure more than 40% of votes.
Though the results were expected, they are problematic for Mnangagwa. For the first time in decades, foreign observer missions, including African monitors, agree that Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary elections were neither free nor fair.
Observers from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) joined other missions in calling out the manipulation. The pre-election field was uneven. Hundreds of candidates including a presidential contender were disqualified. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) boycotted the affair, citing electoral authorities’ perceived bias towards Zanu-PF.
State media became an extension of Zanu-PF’s propaganda machinery. Opposition activists and independent media were harassed during the campaign. Rallies of the opposition were disrupted, as recently as Saturday’s CCC press conference.
Of greater concern was the late arrival of ballot papers in urban areas where the opposition enjoys strong support from disillusioned youth and the middle class. Electoral boundaries and the voters’ roll were being changed days before the elections.
Zimbabweans have to be commended for coming out in numbers to cast their vote, especially in a fear-filled environment. The message is clear: Zimbabweans want and deserve change.
As is its constitutional right, the opposition is heading to the courts. However, the prospects of the legal challenge succeeding are low. Like most state institutions, Zimbabwe’s judiciary is not independent-minded.
Still, that process has to be tried. It is much better than taking their grievance to the streets where ordinary people will be beaten and even killed by the security forces.
Mnangagwa now lacks the legitimacy that comes with a credible election. The rebuke by the Sadc and other observer missions means that the sanctions by the West and international financiers will continue. This further delays Zimbabwe’s economic recovery. Educated Zimbabweans will continue working overseas where their skills are needed and appreciated. The less skilled and uneducated will continue to be a burden in neighbouring countries such as SA.
Zimbabwe cannot survive another five years of misrule and crippling sanctions. Ordinary Zimbabweans have done their fair share to end misrule. It is now up to the international community, neighbours and regional bodies such as Sadc to intervene. In return for easing and ultimately scrapping sanctions, the international community should demand that Zanu-PF accommodate the opposition via a power-sharing arrangement.
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