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Archive for the 'Zimbabwe Blog' Category

Result determined before a single ballot is cast

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Thursday, August 1st, 2013 by Bev Clark

Political parties in Zimbabwe win elections in two ways: by mobilizing their own supporters and suppressing the opposition vote. With its origins as an armed guerrilla insurgency, Zanu-PF has always used both approaches, combining force and patronage to build a political base of “no-go” zones in the country’s rural northeast where the MDC cannot campaign. Absent deep roots in either the labour movement or business community, Zanu-PF long ago lost the allegiance of most urban voters. For its part, however, the MDC, with its undisciplined performance in the coalition government, failed to consolidate its early support among these same groups. It also neglected the need to rebuild its own organization and consummate a grand coalition with minor opposition parties.

More from Michael Bratton writing for Foreign Affairs here

Everybody is waiting anxiously

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Thursday, August 1st, 2013 by Lenard Kamwendo

My excitement of yesterday’s election experience faded fast after I started hearing rumors of early election celebrations in various places, especially where I live in Chitungwiza. The road to this year’s election hasn’t been an easy one, as sometimes tempers have boiled over both at higher levels to as low as an ordinary person walking on the streets. That is the reason we had so many people in the past five years getting charged under the insult law when anger made them show the middle finger to the occupants of high office. I remember when my political science lecturer shared his political views in class, it got so tense that one would think it was a rally only for him to cool it by telling us to take it as academic.

But as the destination to the five-year journey draws closer it is the anxiety that is killing most Zimbabweans and other concerned stakeholders at this moment. Even Zimbabwe’s own whistleblower Baba Jukwa is not dishing out some reliable information on the election results updates. My uncle at home got tired of telling me not to worry myself as no live feed by ZTV from the Command Center has started. Besides press statements from the AU and other electoral bodies, and civic organizations websites, which have become alternative sources of information have maintained a shocking silence on elections results.  I guess as law-abiding citizens they also took heed of the strong jail time warning given to Tsvangirai by the President for releasing results before Zimbabwe Electoral Commission does. Even in public transport, conversations on elections are done in a low tone as people try to avoid drawing unnecessary attention from the person sitting next to them.

Everybody is waiting anxiously.

On a day like today Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s television recorded a spike in television viewership ratings as concerned citizens wait to hear results of the nail-biting contest between Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe.  I hope this time we won’t see interrupted transmission backed by sweating faces on TV for the next two months as the results trickle in.

Free & Fair, yeah right

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Thursday, August 1st, 2013 by Bev Clark

Free

Photo: Jamie McLaren

Couldn’t be more true

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Thursday, August 1st, 2013 by Bev Clark

I think leadership renewal is now imperative. MDCs have tried & failed. The class of 1999 needs to make way. @BekiMpofu

Open air election

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Thursday, August 1st, 2013 by Bev Clark

Sitting on the wall

Photo: Jamie McLaren

Perpetuating prejudice

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Thursday, August 1st, 2013 by Bev Clark

At one time Mugabe’s skin colour made him worse than a pig, or a dog to those who wanted to rob him of his dignity. You can choose to learn from prejudice, or you can perpetuate it.

“If you’re a woman, if you’re a person of color, if you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, if you’re a person of size, a person of intelligence, a person of integrity, then you’re considered a minority in this world. And it’s going to be really hard to find messages of self-love and support anywhere. It’s all about how you have to look a certain way or else you’re worthless. For us to have self-esteem is truly an act of revolution and our revolution is long overdue.”
- Margaret Cho