The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is facing one of its biggest credibility tests ahead of the forthcoming general elections notwithstanding President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s announcement to a local and global audience that the July 30 polls would be free, fair and credible.
Mnangagwa’s promise was widely received by many as a marked shift on anti-foreign observer rhetoric by his predecessor.
While it is commendable that government has set up a special court to prosecute perpetrators of political violence, intimidation and other electoral disputes, more should be done to improve the electoral environment. Issues around the handling of postal votes to the security of the ballot papers have become talking points a few days before the historic elections.
After nearly two decades of international isolation and an absence of international election observers in Zimbabwe, the polls—the first since the resignation of former President Robert Mugabe and the death of his longtime rival Morgan Tsvangirai— would ordinarily come under the spotlight. More so a record 23 presidential hopefuls are expected to vie for the highest office in the land.
ZEC communication department has not helped much in allaying public fears of mal-administration of the polls. In fact the message propagated from Mahachi Quantum building has fuelled more suspicion with critics raising eyebrows over the electoral process. That is not good for confidence building. So intense is the pressure being piled on ZEC that it had been speculated that chairperson Priscilla Chigumba had thrown in the towel. She later dismissed the rumours.
Chigumba has become the target of brickbats on social media platforms, a development that can be tacitly managed by a vibrant communication strategy. In fact, instead of giving the usual legal jargon to explain concerns being raised by the various constituencies, ZEC should go beyond that.
For instance recent remarks by the Chigumba saying “nothing short of an earthquake” would stop the polls were not only ill-timed but also un-engaging. The ZEC boss could have assured political parties that all their concerns would be considered at the very least. Just this week, ZEC told the MDC Alliance that the contentious issue around the security and transparency of ballot papers was now water under the bridge. Surely there is a better way of dealing with this matter.
The Nelson Chamisa-led MDC alliance has in the past few weeks intensified its fight against ZEC over a litany of house-keeping issues, most of which can be addressed overnight.
Chamisa and his alliance partners have already raised the red flag inviting regional bodies to intervene. For many critics, ZEC is now singing from the same hymn book with the ruling party. This is an invidious situation for any electoral body managing polls in a country with a history of contested polls.
Surely after a history of contested polls, the electoral body can step up its effort and move away from the old guard politics to ensure that the polls receive local, regional and international endorsements.
For the average Zimbabwean who has endured nearly 20 years of polarisation and toxic politics, a day longer of contested polls and animosity is just disheartening. On the international arena, all the traction gained in engaging the international community could become futile should the polls be described as a farce.
Although interest on Zimbabwe has improved since the resignation of the former president last November, a discredited election could wipe out all the gains and dampen the hopes of a nation.
Potential investors are closely following the developments which can make or break Zimbabwe.
