Zimbabwe’s president urges party unity ahead of election

Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa has called for unity in the ruling Zanu-PF party ahead of this year’s general election, following chaotic internal polls that left several of his key allies fighting for their political futures.

The Zanu-PF primary elections that concluded on May 1st have been dogged by allegations of vote rigging and mismanagement, and their outcome has raised concerns about the state’s ability to facilitate free and fair national polls expected in late July.

Since he replaced his predecessor Robert Mugabe – who was removed by the military after 37 years in power last November – Mnangagwa has embarked on an international charm offensive to attract billions of dollars of investment into the country.

Key to securing this investment, which is needed to kick-start Zimbabwe’s crippled economy, is proof that the southern African country has renewed its commitment to the rule of law and the principals of democracy.

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Under Mugabe’s leadership, Zanu-PF stands accused of perpetuating gross human rights abuses against ordinary Zimbabweans and of rigging most national elections in the country since 2000.

Mnangagwa’s critics say that because he served in each of Mugabe’s governments since independence from Britain in 1980, the 75-year-old does not have the ability to steer Zanu-PF towards a more democratic approach to governance.

Changed approach

While Mnangagwa and his supporters have insisted that the ruling party had changed its approach to politics and governance under their leadership, the manner in which the primary polls were held has left a cloud over that assertion.

In addition to outbreaks of violence that marred the internal poll and allegations of rigging, Zanu-PF has also been accused of using the police and state apparatuses in party politics.

Zimbabwe's NewsDay newspaper reported last week that a leaked Zanu-PF primary election blueprint document showed that 6'500 police officers and 420 government vehicles were deployed during the internal poll, which should be free from state interference.

War veterans’ leader Christopher Mutsvangwa‚ a special adviser to Mnangagwa ‚ is one of the high-profile Zanu-PF old guard who has been denied the opportunity to contest the parliamentary election by the party’s rank and file members.

He was defeated during the primaries by Langton Mutendreya in his bid to become the Zanu-PF candidate for the Norton constituency, a town located 40km outside of the capital, Harare.

Defeated

Other high-profile Mnangagwa allies defeated in the primaries were Zanu-PF national chairperson and cabinet minister Oppah Muchinguri; public service minister in the president’s office Simbarashe Mumbengegwi; former police spokesperson Oliver Mandipaka; and scholarships minister Christopher Mushowe.

Addressing Zanu-PF members in Harare on Friday during the launch of the party’s general election manifesto, Mnangagwa warned that the greatest threat to the former liberation movement’s hold on power was internal party divisions.

“Let us put our differences aside and campaign for the thunderous victory of our revolutionary party. A house divided cannot stand,” Mnangagwa warned.

The full list of candidates that will represent Zanu-PF in the parliamentary election has yet to be released by the ruling party. It stated on Friday that at least 10 results from the primaries were under review and that re-runs in some constituencies were expected.

Chaos

During an interview with The Irish Times, the southern Africa director with the Africa division at Human Rights Watch, Dewa Mavhinga, said he was unsurprised by the chaos that engulfed Zanu-PF in recent weeks.

“What transpired during the Zanu-PF primaries is a terrible dry run for the national elections and does not inspire confidence that legitimate polls can be held,” he said. “The fact that so many of Mnangagwa’s allies were defeated is indicative of the many power struggles that continue to undermine the party.”

However, Mavhinga went on to caution against thinking that the chaos in Zanu-PF suggested that opposition parties contesting the general election stood a good chance of benefiting from the infighting at the ballot box.

He maintained that Mnangagwa and his allies would ensure they win the poll.

“I believe there will be a perception of openness and fairness in terms of the election process in the towns and cities,” he concluded, “but the manipulation of the vote will occur in the rural areas where the world’s attention will not be focused.”

Turmoil

University of Johannesburg researcher Pedzisai Ruhanya believes the turmoil that engulfed Zanu-PF’s internal poll was a result of Mnangagwa’s efforts to usher into the ruling party a younger generation of politician hat will appeal to the Zimbabwean youth.

“Zanu-PF knows the youth are not interested in voting for Mugabe’s old guard in the party so they are trying to introduce new faces and policies,” he said.

Like Mavhinga, Ruhanya also maintained the Zanu-PF primaries did not bode well for holding legitimate polls in a few months’ time.

“Mnangagwa’s regime is a covert one, and it will ensure that the international observers that come to the country to witness the poll won’t see the violence and intimidation that will take place,” he said.