News / National
ZANU-PF strategists want to go for the kill on MDC factions
22 Mar 2013 at 05:33hrs | Views
ZANU-PF has been buoyed by opinion polls that have placed its leader ahead of PM Tsvangirai, his main rival.
As a result, there are some in ZANU-PF who want President Mugabe to dissolve Parliament this month, exactly five years after the March 29, 2008 general elections were held, so that the nation could go to elections as soon as possible.
However, ZANU-PF's rivals are insisting that the five-year life of the National Assembly cannot be measured from the date of the last elections, but from the time lawmakers were sworn in on August 25, 2008.
In 2008 harmonised elections ZANU-PF fielded more than one candidate in certain constituencies, resulting in the splitting of votes.
As a result, the party lost its majority in Parliament to the combined MDC formations for the first time since independence in 1980.
Party insiders this week said ZANU-PF would soon convene a special Politburo meeting to map the way forward on primary elections amid indications that the so-called young Turks within the party are itching to take members of the old guard head-on.
They said there has been massive interest in the primary polls from aspiring candidates which has necessitated the need for the party to consider foolproof strategies that would shirk potentially damaging divisions.
The party is desperate to avoid a fallout similar to that caused by its District Coordinating Committee (DCC) elections last year when the warring factions in ZANU-PF shredded the party's rule book by attempting to impose their preferred candidates.
To paper over the cracks, the Politburo and the Central Committee had to step in, resulting in the disbandment of the DCCs.
From its liberation war days, ZANU-PF has battled divisions defined along tribal, regional and factional lines. In the past, it has tried to mend the rifts unsuccessfully, resulting in the party losing ground to the MDC-T.
The divisions almost reached a tipping point in 2008 when some party members de-campaigned President Robert Mugabe ahead of elections mainly in protest over the imposition of candidates.
This saw some Members of Parliament getting the majority of votes in certain constituencies, while President Mugabe, who turned 89 last month, fared badly, an indication that some party members voted for their preferred parliamentary candidate, but went on to vote against their leader.
Consequently, President Mugabe lost the first round of voting, forcing the presidential contest to go into a second round after the MDC-T leader could not garner the requisite threshold of votes to be declared a clear winner.
The run-off that followed in June 2008 was declared a sham after PM Tsvangirai pulled out on account of State-sponsored violence which claimed the lives of more than 200 of his supporters.
With crucial polls only a few months away, ZANU-PF is leaving no stone unturned to mend deep rooted divisions ' starting with the levelling of the electoral playing field during primary elections.
Rugare Gumbo, the party's secretary for information and publicity, confirmed this week that the supreme decision-making body in between congresses may convene a special session to deal with primary polls as the country inches towards fresh polls.
"We may have a special session on primary elections. All we discussed (at our last Politburo meeting) were challenges in the party. Challenges in the party can be the issue of factionalism, it can be failure to adhere to party rules and procedures," he said.
Last week, members decision-making organ of the party were called for another meeting where problems threatening to jeopardise ZANU-PF's electoral chances in the impending polls were discussed.
Interestingly, the party did not discuss the issue of violence despite the skirmishes that were reported in some parts of the country ahead of the referendum on Saturday.
Although President Mugabe alluded to the need to maintain peace and tranquillity during last Wednesday's Politburo session, ZANU-PF's failure to put the item on its agenda has raised questions about its commitment to nipping politically-motivated violence in the bud.
Critics accuse ZANU-PF of abusing state security organs to intimidate its rivals ahead of crucial elections.
The harassment of ZANU-PF's perceived opponents extends to civic society groups, human rights lawyers and the private media.
While the police have been quick to arrest suspected MDC-T perpetrators of violence, they have not done the same to ZANU-PF supporters and officials fingered in acts of violence.
Nearly all ZANU-PF supporters and members implicated in attacks against MDC-T supporters continue to walk free.
As a result, there are some in ZANU-PF who want President Mugabe to dissolve Parliament this month, exactly five years after the March 29, 2008 general elections were held, so that the nation could go to elections as soon as possible.
However, ZANU-PF's rivals are insisting that the five-year life of the National Assembly cannot be measured from the date of the last elections, but from the time lawmakers were sworn in on August 25, 2008.
In 2008 harmonised elections ZANU-PF fielded more than one candidate in certain constituencies, resulting in the splitting of votes.
As a result, the party lost its majority in Parliament to the combined MDC formations for the first time since independence in 1980.
Party insiders this week said ZANU-PF would soon convene a special Politburo meeting to map the way forward on primary elections amid indications that the so-called young Turks within the party are itching to take members of the old guard head-on.
They said there has been massive interest in the primary polls from aspiring candidates which has necessitated the need for the party to consider foolproof strategies that would shirk potentially damaging divisions.
The party is desperate to avoid a fallout similar to that caused by its District Coordinating Committee (DCC) elections last year when the warring factions in ZANU-PF shredded the party's rule book by attempting to impose their preferred candidates.
To paper over the cracks, the Politburo and the Central Committee had to step in, resulting in the disbandment of the DCCs.
From its liberation war days, ZANU-PF has battled divisions defined along tribal, regional and factional lines. In the past, it has tried to mend the rifts unsuccessfully, resulting in the party losing ground to the MDC-T.
The divisions almost reached a tipping point in 2008 when some party members de-campaigned President Robert Mugabe ahead of elections mainly in protest over the imposition of candidates.
This saw some Members of Parliament getting the majority of votes in certain constituencies, while President Mugabe, who turned 89 last month, fared badly, an indication that some party members voted for their preferred parliamentary candidate, but went on to vote against their leader.
Consequently, President Mugabe lost the first round of voting, forcing the presidential contest to go into a second round after the MDC-T leader could not garner the requisite threshold of votes to be declared a clear winner.
The run-off that followed in June 2008 was declared a sham after PM Tsvangirai pulled out on account of State-sponsored violence which claimed the lives of more than 200 of his supporters.
With crucial polls only a few months away, ZANU-PF is leaving no stone unturned to mend deep rooted divisions ' starting with the levelling of the electoral playing field during primary elections.
Rugare Gumbo, the party's secretary for information and publicity, confirmed this week that the supreme decision-making body in between congresses may convene a special session to deal with primary polls as the country inches towards fresh polls.
"We may have a special session on primary elections. All we discussed (at our last Politburo meeting) were challenges in the party. Challenges in the party can be the issue of factionalism, it can be failure to adhere to party rules and procedures," he said.
Last week, members decision-making organ of the party were called for another meeting where problems threatening to jeopardise ZANU-PF's electoral chances in the impending polls were discussed.
Interestingly, the party did not discuss the issue of violence despite the skirmishes that were reported in some parts of the country ahead of the referendum on Saturday.
Although President Mugabe alluded to the need to maintain peace and tranquillity during last Wednesday's Politburo session, ZANU-PF's failure to put the item on its agenda has raised questions about its commitment to nipping politically-motivated violence in the bud.
Critics accuse ZANU-PF of abusing state security organs to intimidate its rivals ahead of crucial elections.
The harassment of ZANU-PF's perceived opponents extends to civic society groups, human rights lawyers and the private media.
While the police have been quick to arrest suspected MDC-T perpetrators of violence, they have not done the same to ZANU-PF supporters and officials fingered in acts of violence.
Nearly all ZANU-PF supporters and members implicated in attacks against MDC-T supporters continue to walk free.
Source - FinGaz
