Thursday 22 August 2019

"Zanu PF has people's mandate and will not share it with MDC" - what mandate, rigged elections P Guaramatunhu


Zanu PF is treating the issue of the regime’s lack of legitimacy and the MDC’s call for a power sharing arrangement as if the two are one and the same thing.

“The people pronounced themselves and gave the mandate to Zanu PF. Notwithstanding that Zanu PF is saying all Zimbabweans have a right to participate in the discourse of this country. But we will not be dragged to a bilateral backdoor power sharing negotiation with the MDC” argued Nick Mangwana on twitter.

The two issues are in fact separate and distinct and Zanu PF want the two combined to help the Zanu PF’s political narrative and to confuse the naïve and gullible.

Mnangagwa and the Zanu PF regime (not just Mnangagwa as the MDC narrative suggests) are illegitimate because last year’s election process was full of serious flaws and illegalities is nonsense to suggest the results were a true reflection of the democratic will of the people. 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora (compared to Mnangagwa’s 2.4 million “winning” votes) were denied the vote. Mnangagwa said these people will get the vote next time. The question is why were they denied the vote in the 30 July 2018 elections?

ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll! A common sense and legal requirement.

“The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner,” the EU Election Observer Mission stated in its final report.

“The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability. Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”
And so, Mnangagwa and Zanu PF can scream “The people pronounced themselves and gave the mandate to Zanu PF!” all they want. It means nothing when more potential voters were blatantly denied the vote than those of the winning candidate; when no one can trace and verify the cast votes; etc.

Zanu PF has been rigging elections ever since the country gained its independence back in 1980; the regime would insist the elections were free, fair and credible and seize the instruments of government, presenting the nation with a fait accompli of a Zanu PF government. Other than in 2008 Zanu PF has got away with imposing itself on the nation.

In the 2008 elections, the cheating and wanton violence were so perverse and widespread that not even SADC and AU, known for turning a blind eye to dodgy elections, had no choice by to condemn the elections and refuse to grant Zanu PF legitimacy. Zanu PF was force to go into a power sharing arrangement with MDC, a GNU. The principle task of the GNU was to implement the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging future elections.

Sadly, not even one meaningful democratic reform was implemented in the five years of the GNU. Robert Mugabe bribed MDC leaders with the generous salaries and allowances, ministerial limos, a former white-owned farm for Welshman Ncube, a $4 million Highlands mansion for Tsvangirai, etc., etc. With their snouts in the feeding trough, MDC leaders completely forgot about implementing the reforms.

Many outsiders could not believe that MDC and the whole coterie of the opposition parties and candidates still participated in last year’s elections even when ZEC had failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll. The reason for it was greed, as David Coltart admitted in his book.

“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 elections,” explained Senator Coltart.

“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.”

Having given the flawed and illegal elections credibility by participating and being rewarded by winning a number of the gravy train seats Zanu PF gave away, was therefore not surprising that MDC and their friends in the opposition camp accepted last year’s election process as free, fair and credible. What MDC have rejected is Mnangagwa’s vote count.

Zanu PF has hit back and accused MDC of cherry picking and rightly so too. The same fraudulent electoral process used in the parliamentary race was used in the presidential race. Chamisa failed to produce the verified voters’ roll; all V11 forms (summary of the votes cast by polling station) about 10% were never made public; etc.; and so, his vote count could not be traced and verified just as the rest of the ZEC results.

The MDC narrative is that only Mnangagwa is illegitimate and the party will grant him legitimacy if he agreed to share the spoils of the rigged elections by appointing Chamisa and two or so other MDC leaders ministers in a  new GNU. Zanu PF’s narrative is clear enough, the party has given up a number of parliamentary seats already.

For all Mnangagwa’s post November 2017 military coup promises and claims that Zimbabwe had changed; it was clear nothing had changed. By blatantly rigging last year’s elections Zanu PF confirmed that Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by the same corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state, the country will never have any meaningful economic recovery because no one wants to do business with thugs.

Ever if Zanu PF was to bow to MDC pressure and for a new GNU, the addition of Chamisa will not change the political reality of an illegitimate Zanu PF government and the country’s pariah state status. So there will be no meaningful economic recovery.
Worst of all, if Zanu PF is allowed to remain in office until 2023 then no meaning democratic reforms will be implemented, and we can be certain the party will rig the 2023 elections as readily as it has rigged elections in the past. We, the people of Zimbabwe, owe it to ourselves and posterity to make sure this does not happen.

Last year’s election process was flawed and illegal and so Mnangagwa and this Zanu PF regime are illegitimate. The fact that the MDC was corrupt and foolish enough to participate in the flawed elections does not make it legal and the results legitimate. We must demand that Zanu PF steps down as a matter of cause, to end the pariah state and, most critical of all, to allow reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections to be finally implemented.

8 comments:

  1. "Zimbabwe is full of potential for economic growth and prosperity for its citizens, however, something is holding back the country from unlocking this potential.

    "You cannot separate the economy from the political sphere. There is need to respect the democratic principles that underpin a developmental state," Alkonnen said.

    The EU was a joint signatory to a damning statement issued early this week that condemned Mnangagwa for the current spate of abductions, torture and attacks on civil society as well as political opponents across the Zimbabwe. The condemnation also came in the aftermath of government's decision to ban protests organised by the main opposition in five cities across Zimbabwe.

    Zanu PF is not going to implement any meaningful democratic reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections. It is high time people accepted this obvious reality and start demanding that the illegitimate regime steps down. There is no other way to get the reforms finally implemented. It is time the people took the bull by the horn!

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  2. Zanu PF rigged last year's elections but by participating in the flawed and illegal elections MDC and the rest in the opposition camp have certainly given the process some modicum of credibility and thus undermine the push to get Zanu PF to step down. It beggars belief that so many people would still have no clue what constitute free, fair and credible elections; in this day and age!

    Zimbabweans have yet to wake-up to the political reality that MDC leaders have long stopped to represent the common people and has been making secret deals with Zanu PF.

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  3. @ Sarah Mahoka

    The 3 million in the diaspora had every right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country regardless who they would have voted! The out come of last year's election could not possibly be the democratic wish of the people of Zimbabwe when 3 million were deliberately denied the vote compared to the 2.4 million Mnangagwa says voted for him!

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  4. The United States has said President Emmerson Mnangagwa is not committed to reforms following a spate of kidnappings and torture of government critics in what observers have described as state repression on dissenting voices.

    Mnangagwa succeeded long time Zimbabwean ruler Robert Mugabe who was ousted through a coup in November 2017. He promised to reform Zimbabwe from the repressive state it was under his predecessor but recent events have led to the conclusions that Mnangagwa is actually worse than Mugabe.

    Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections and the pressure on the regime to step down should have been focused and resolute. There should have been unanimity on this point, sadly that was not to be. It is infuriating that the most significant block to pass the rigged elections as free, fair and credible is none other than Zimbabwe’s opposition!

    The opposition did not care that Zanu PF rigged the elections denying the people their right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country as long as they win the few gravy-train seats Zanu PF was giving away as bait. MDC leaders are making a big song and dance of refusing to recognise Mnangagwa as the winner but only as a means to pressure him to share the spoils of the rigged elections with them.

    It is high time men and women of good will accepted that Zanu PF will never implement the democratic reforms and that MDC is only giving the regime an excuse to stay in power. We need to focus on demanding that Zanu PF steps down!

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  5. You are 100% correct that Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year's elections but judging from the reaction of the Zimbabweans out there, most of them did not even notice much less cared even if they did.

    Again you are 100% correct that MDC leaders sold-out during the last GNU hence the reason they failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. How many Zimbabweans, even now with the benefit of hindsight and constant reminders of what happened, even notice that much less care? You will be very lucky of 1% noted and care.

    The country's economic meltdown and the tragic human suffering and deaths it has brought should have forced the people to wake up and ask what has gone wrong. Mankind is a creature of reason and necessity is the mother of invention; we are told. We are not being asked to reinvent the wheel but only to use it to meet our needs and to improve and save our own lives!

    It is easy to see why both Zanu PF and MDC have blatantly cheated and betrayed the people and got away with again and again and, worst of all, why the betrayal is set to continue - the people notice nothing and they do not care. We are a nation in a sloth-like slumber; one can fire a shot-gun into the sloth's face, the only reaction will be for it to open its eyes blink a few times and go back to sleep!

    Until this nation wake-up and show some interest in what is going on around them, this nation is doomed!

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  6. Could not agree with Dale Mckinley more, Zimbabwe will never have any meaningful economic recovery until we address the country's political and bad governance problems.


    For the last 39 years the country has accepted Zanu PF rigging elections to stay in power as a reality that the nation had no choice but to accept and try to work with. Zanu PF dictatorship has grown more arrogant, greedy and wasteful anyone who thinks this can continue is insane.


    The people of Zimbabwe must bite the bullet and deal with the Zanu PF dictatorship now or the nation will only sink deeper and deeper into the abyss. The tragic events in such country as Syria and Libya; countries that have allowed their bad governance to drift beyond the point of no return, are where Zimbabwe is going!

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  7. The tragedy for Zimbabwe is that the country's opposition party MDC is the one behind the country's political stagnation. During the last GNU in 2008 to 2013, MDC had the golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms which would have ended the Zanu PF dictatorship. The failed to get even one reform implemented. Not one!

    Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year's elections and it was again MDC that has helped the regime get away with the rigged elections. By participating in the flawed and illegitimate elections the opposition have given the process credibility. Right now MDC is staging these street protest to force Zanu PF to share the spoils of the rigged elections. MDC is calling for a new GNU although it is clear it will not implement any reforms.

    The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb in the fight for independence and it was none other than Zanu PF, the party that claims to have spearheaded the liberation struggle, that has turned the nation's new oppressor.

    In the last 20 years the people have once again risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power in the hope they would bring about the democratic changes to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship. Sadly, MDC leaders sold-out and they are now the ones helping to keep Zanu PF in power!

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  8. Professor Jonathan Moyo is publishing a book coming out soon entitled "EXCELGATE: How Zimbabwe's 2018 presidential election was stolen"

    This ZTB unpacks whether it could have been possible to steal Zimbabwe's 2018 presidential election without the systemic capture of Zimbabwe's judicial system. The systemic capture of Zimbabwe's judiciary started manifesting itself in 2016 and came to the fore on 21st August 2019 when Justice Chitapi quashed charges against Honourable Saviour Kasukuwere . In a rare judgment, Justice Chitapi described how the magistrate in the Kasukuwere case, as a judicial officer, "openly confessed that he was conducting proceedings under pressure from certain persons. He was therefore not independent and impartial as his duties required him to be."

    Mnangagwa's shenanigans to control the appointment of the Chief Justice were central to the capture of the judiciary. Around September 2016, the Mnangagwa led justice ministry stampeded Chief Justice Chidyausiku out of office into early retirement by in order to manipulate the selection process for the new Chief Justice. When President Mugabe discovered this, he requested Chief Justice Chidyausiku to come back to work and preside over the process of selecting his successor as required by the Constitution. However, Misheck Sibanda, through whom Mnangagwa was said to then have captured the Office of the President and Cabinet, attempted and failed to stop the Judicial Services Commission from conducting interviews for the Chief Justice.


    When Didymus Mutasa, Rugare Gumbo and others in the Mai Mujuru faction wanted to challenge their "unlawful" booting out of Zanu PF in 2014. It was none other than Mugabe himself who boasted "in whose Courts!" And now Professor Moyo wants us to believe the judiciary was independent under Mugabe!

    The credibility of whatever Professor Jonathan Moyo will have to say in his book will be seriously undermined by underlying lie that Mnangagwa capture the judiciary, rigged the elections, etc., etc. and Mugabe was innocent of all such evil. Only a village idiot would believe that lie!

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