Opinion / Columnist
2008 election theme back again in 2023
18 Jul 2023 at 12:52hrs | Views
One fascinating pursuit in the study of electoral politics is tracking recurring election campaign themes which, like the wheel, are unwise to reinvent.
A typical example of such themes is time.
In 1991 trade unionist Fredrick Chiluba and his MMD deposed Kenneth Kaunda and his UNIP in Zambia in a famous election campaign in Southern Africa, whose theme was, "The Hour Has Come".
Morgan Tsvangirai - who founded the MDC in 1999 - and who was also a trade unionist and styled himself in the vein of Chiluba used the theme, "Now is the Time", almost found himself at State House after Zimbabwe's first harmonised general election on 29 March 2008, in which the opposition made up of two MDC formations won the majority seats [110 out of 210] in Parliament for the first time since independence in 1980, and in which the result of the presidential election was disputed even after the 29 June 2008 runoff; two factors which precipitated GPA negotiations between Zanu-PF and the MDCT, leading to the formation of a GNU in February 2009 which ran the country up to 31 July 2013.
And in 2023, the time honoured time based election theme is back again with Saviour Kasukuwere - whose presidential challenge as an independent candidate hangs in the balance with the courts to decide its fate - campaigning under the theme, "It's Time".
And, as always happens with time-based election campaign themes, the clock never fails to ticktock.
What time is it?
Time will tell!
A typical example of such themes is time.
In 1991 trade unionist Fredrick Chiluba and his MMD deposed Kenneth Kaunda and his UNIP in Zambia in a famous election campaign in Southern Africa, whose theme was, "The Hour Has Come".
Morgan Tsvangirai - who founded the MDC in 1999 - and who was also a trade unionist and styled himself in the vein of Chiluba used the theme, "Now is the Time", almost found himself at State House after Zimbabwe's first harmonised general election on 29 March 2008, in which the opposition made up of two MDC formations won the majority seats [110 out of 210] in Parliament for the first time since independence in 1980, and in which the result of the presidential election was disputed even after the 29 June 2008 runoff; two factors which precipitated GPA negotiations between Zanu-PF and the MDCT, leading to the formation of a GNU in February 2009 which ran the country up to 31 July 2013.
And in 2023, the time honoured time based election theme is back again with Saviour Kasukuwere - whose presidential challenge as an independent candidate hangs in the balance with the courts to decide its fate - campaigning under the theme, "It's Time".
And, as always happens with time-based election campaign themes, the clock never fails to ticktock.
What time is it?
Time will tell!
Source - Twitter
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