Government announces elections in January and March

By Tererai Karimakwenda
07 April, 2007

The state controlled Herald newspaper reports that local government elections will be held in January 2008 and the joint presidential, parliamentary and senate elections will be held two months later in March. The announcement was made by the Minister of Local Government Ignatius Chombo, who also said the ruling party would choose its candidates in November. The Nomination Court will be held in December, but the specific dates were not given.

Opposition parties have so far insisted that they would not take part in any elections under the current constitution and electoral setup. The Tsvangirai MDC director of elections Ian Makoni and several MDC officials are in police custody on what the party says are trumped up charges. They believe this is part of a ZANU-PF strategy to cripple the opposition before the elections.

Tendai Biti, secretary general of the Tsvangirai MDC, said the party is ready to take part in any election and at any time but not under the current conditions. He stressed that as long as the arrests and violence against their officials and supporters continue they would not participate. Biti added: “In terms of the law, the majority of urban councils should have elections in August 2007. How ZANU-PF can just wake up and say we are going to have elections in January, it’s part of the unilateralism that tells you, even if you are not a rocket scientist, that the election itself will have a predetermined outcome.”

Biti went on to say, there are a whole host of issues that make it impossible to have free and fair elections in Zimbabwe right now.” This included a flawed voters’ roll, the lack of an independent electoral commission, the use of food as a political instrument, the use of chiefs to intimidate voters and the lack of media access and international observers.

The government has been proceeding as though the situation in the country is normal, while arresting and assaulting MDC officials. Biti said there is not a shred of evidence against any of those detained. He accused the judiciary of being biased and cited Zimbabwean law which requires certain basic evidence to exist before arresting individuals.
In other election news, the by-election to fill the Zaka East House of Assembly seat, left vacant by the death of Tinos Rusere, will be held on Saturday, June 9th. The nomination day is Friday, May 11th and the deadline to register to vote is Thursday May 10th.

Unless the situation changes, ZANU-PF will be conducting elections without any participation by the major opposition party.