Electoral Politics in Zimbabwe: Authoritarianism Versus the People

Abstract

The majority of Zimbabweans are now accustomed to electoral fraud as practised by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) led by  President Mugabe. Elections are generally not conducted in a manner that can be deemed to be free, fair and transparent. The major electoral malpractices include lack of transparency in the electoral procedures, lack of information on electoral regulations among both the electorate and the contestants, numerous amendments to the laws, most of which are aimed at disenfranchising sections of the electorate who are suspected of supporting opposition political parties, and fraudulent tallying of the votes at counting. Political violence also plays a major role in Zimbabwe’s electoral politics. The chief perpetrators of political violence are by far elements within the ruling ZANU-PF party. Human rights groups in Zimbabwe report that the majority of the victims of political violence during election times are members of opposition political parties. Apart from control of the state media for partisan political purposes, the whole electoral machinery is also effectively controlled by President Mugabe himself through direct appointments to them. Even the  law-enforcement agencies are loyal to the President and the party. These have created a grossly uneven political playing field, pose a sever security dilemma for political dissenters, and render elections a farcical exercise in democracy. La majorite des Zimbabweens est a present habituee aux fraudes electorales pratiquees par le parti au pouvoir, l’Union Nationale Africaine du Zimbabwe – Front Patriotique (Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front -ZANUPF) dirige par le President Mugabe. Les elections ne sont generalement pas menees de facon  libre, juste et transparente. Les principales pratiques electorales frauduleuses  incluent le manque de transparence au niveau des procedures electorales, le  manque d’informations relatives aux regulations electorales aussi bien pour  l’electorat que les adversaires politiques, une quantite innombrable d’amendements a la legislation dont la plupart consistent a priver du droit de vote des parties  entieres de l’electorat, suspectees de soutenir les partis politiques de l’opposition ;enfin, ces pratiques incluent egalement un decompte irregulier des bulletins de vote. La violence politique joue egalement un role crucial dans la politique  electorale au Zimbabwe. Les principaux acteurs de cette violence sont pour la  plupart des elements internes au ZANU-PF. Certains groupes de defense des droits de l’homme affirment que la majorite des victimes de la violence politique perpetree durant les elections, sont des membres de partis politiques de l’opposition. Outre le controle des medias etatiques pour des raisons de politique partisane, l’ensemble de la machinerie electorale est egalement effectivement sous la mainmise du President Mugabe lui-meme, qui agit a travers un systeme de designations  directes. Meme les organes charges d’appliquer la legislation obeissent au  President et au parti. Ceux-ci ont contribue a la formation d’un terrain politique extremement inegal, et posent un serieux dilemme securitaire aux dissidents  politiques, tout en transformant les elections en une grotesque caricature de la democratie.