Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans had not voted at the scheduled close of polling stations — 7pm on Wednesday, 23 August — after the body overseeing the elections, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), failed to provide voting materials on time in most parts of the country, resulting in electoral management officials extending the voting deadline.
Power plays continue to dog Zimbabwe’s politics almost two months after its disputed general elections, with parliamentary recalls now taking centre stage as President Emmerson Mnangagwa battles to control the national assembly.
Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Nelson Chamisa on Wednesday announced that his Citizens Coalition for Change party was disengaging from Parliament and local authorities to protest against the recalling of 24 of his party’s legislators by an ‘imposter’.
Silence over abuses of human rights and democracy such as those experienced in Uganda and Zimbabwe amounts to consent.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s presence at Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s poorly attended inauguration this month was ‘procedural’, says the deputy minister in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Zanu-PF has pursued politics and economics as war by other means. For Zanu-PF, the cost of crazy economic policies or widespread political repression does not matter so long as it maintains its power and privilege.
Since continued polarisation within Zimbabwe, and the possibility of polarisation within the SADC, will continue in the absence of a substantive dialogue, the Platform for Concerned Citizens has launched a petition which outlines steps towards resolving the crisis.
Zimbabwe’s 2023 election has brought to the fore political fault lines in the SADC. Zambia led by Haikande Hichilema is ushering in a new democratic wave, while the liberation parties of ANC, Zanu-PF, Swapo, CCM and Frelimo are holding onto power with a vice grip.
The Citizens Coalition for Change isn’t challenging Zimbabwe’s election results in court, saying the ruling Zanu-PF has captured the judiciary. The party’s David Coltart has, however, compiled a lengthy file of electoral abuses.
The refusal of most SADC heads of state to support Mnangagwa’s inauguration — and the absence of all three presidents in the SADC Troika — follows the unprecedented condemnation of the elections by the body’s observer mission.
Zimbabwe’s bid for readmission to the Commonwealth suffered a knock after the UK’s House of Lords on Tuesday expressed concern over the security situation in the southern African country following its 23 August general election, controversially won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The African National Congress has stepped into Zimbabwe’s political landscape following the country’s disputed general elections on 23 August, declaring that there will not be fresh elections, as demanded by the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change. The ANC’s Fikile Mbalula has also blocked a public lecture in Johannesburg to discuss the elections that was to be led top Zimbabwean academic Ibbo Mandaza.
SADC could take a lead in pushing for political reforms in Zimbabwe, but South Africa’s response hasn’t helped.
Zimbabwe’s main opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change led by Nelson Chamisa has called for fresh elections after it disputed the results of the 23 August polls, citing several massive rigging by President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was re-elected for a second term.
The South African Presidency has called on Zimbabwe’s political parties to work together for peace and prosperity, but the government has failed to comment on widespread reports of electoral abuses.
All eyes will be on South Africa, which, although somewhat jaded by corruption scandals and a declining state, still claims to be the leading democracy in the region. Now that SADC observer mission has condemned the Zim election, it has nowhere to hide.
If you look at Zimbabwe’s elections historically, you can’t help but notice some absolutely extraordinary things.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, basking in the glory of being re-elected for a second term in office, albeit controversially, has invited his opponents to work with him to revive the country’s foundering economy — a clear sign that he cannot go it alone following the disputed polls.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ruling Zanu PF party were on Saturday night declared winners of the country’s chaotic general elections held on 23 August but results are disputed by the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change party led by Nelson Chamisa.
If you value the work our journalists do and want to support Daily Maverick, consider becoming a Maverick Insider.
Daily Maverick © All rights reserved
