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'Free and fair elections not possible in Zimbabwe,' says Mandaza
13 Nov 2014 at 19:42hrs | Views
Zimbabwe is far from holding peaceful, fair and legitimate elections because institutions have been put in place to violate the people's rights and political processes.
Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza told The Zimbabwean on the side lines of a recent Zimbabwe Election Support Network workshop that there had been no fair elections in the country since 2000.
"What observers regard as free and peaceful elections in Zimbabwe are the exact opposite, as the electorate is threatened into submission and, like cattle at the dip tank, they quietly queue and cast their ballot as instructed," he said. Observers see the cowed electorate and wrongly assume that everything is normal.
He gave an example of a school headmaster whom he said was shot dead in front of his community as a demonstration of how MDC followers would be dealt with. Such terror tactics forced people to vote for candidates against their choice.
He said the electorate was reminded of 2008 election violence ahead of the 2013 polls. "Militarism pervades our politics. Politicians are not there for the people but to get into office and access wealth," he said, adding that power struggles in Zanu-PF ahead of congresses were not anything new, and could be traced back to 1977.
Mandaza blamed the MDC for participating in the 2013 elections without the necessary electoral reforms, against advice from some SADC heads of state.
Irene Petras, the director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said fear among the electorate was a worrying element of the country's electoral process.
Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza told The Zimbabwean on the side lines of a recent Zimbabwe Election Support Network workshop that there had been no fair elections in the country since 2000.
"What observers regard as free and peaceful elections in Zimbabwe are the exact opposite, as the electorate is threatened into submission and, like cattle at the dip tank, they quietly queue and cast their ballot as instructed," he said. Observers see the cowed electorate and wrongly assume that everything is normal.
He gave an example of a school headmaster whom he said was shot dead in front of his community as a demonstration of how MDC followers would be dealt with. Such terror tactics forced people to vote for candidates against their choice.
He said the electorate was reminded of 2008 election violence ahead of the 2013 polls. "Militarism pervades our politics. Politicians are not there for the people but to get into office and access wealth," he said, adding that power struggles in Zanu-PF ahead of congresses were not anything new, and could be traced back to 1977.
Mandaza blamed the MDC for participating in the 2013 elections without the necessary electoral reforms, against advice from some SADC heads of state.
Irene Petras, the director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said fear among the electorate was a worrying element of the country's electoral process.
Source - zimbabwean
