95% Zimbabweans say no to senate in Crisis Coalition survey

By Tererai Karimakwenda
25 November 2005

The results of a recent survey conducted by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and Women of Zimbabwe Arise have revealed that an overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans do not want a senate. The groups conducted a door-to-door campaign in which the public was asked to fill out forms simply choosing a yes or a no to the creation of a new senate. According to the Zim Online news site, 95.06 percent of those interviewed were opposed to the senate. The survey covered six of the country's 10 provinces.
The senate elections are on Saturday and Zimbabweans will be choosing 50 senators who will form part of a 66-member parliamentary house. Robert Mugabe and the council of traditional chiefs will select the other 16. But since many civic groups, churches and students’ organisations were opposed to the creation of this second chamber from the beginning, experts have predicted that very few people will turn out to vote. Despite all these signals, the state controlled Herald newspaper reported Friday that 3,2 million Zimbabweans are expected at the polls.
In Harare, 40 732 people or 98.43 percent of those interviewed said they were against the setting up of the senate. Only 649 people or 1.57 percent said they supported it. In Bulawayo province, the base of the pro-senate faction led by MDC secretary general Welshman Ncube, 44 310 people interviewed were opposed to the senate. In Mashonaland East, 3 765 were opposed, and only 52 favoured a senate. In Masvingo, there were 32 404 people against the senate and 6 241 in support. Surprisingly, Matabeleland had the biggest gap. 32 404 were against another parliamentary chamber, with only eight supporting it.
Elinor Sisulu of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition South Africa said elections have become a discredited institution. She said ordinary people have been voting since the referendum in 2000 and have seen no results from it. In fact things are getting worse. As for the results of their survey, Elinor said it reflects the disillusionment with elections. She believes people are no longer interested in the process, and are continually put off by ZANU-PF propaganda. The turnout will be low, she said, many people displaced by Murambatsvina will not find their names on the voters due to constituencies being shifted around. Asked about food for votes tactics being used by the ruling party, Elinor said Zimbabweans may do what they did last time in the rural areas, and that is take the maize and spoil the ballot.
The Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube told reverend Martine Stemerick Friday that he too expects voter apathy to rule the day. Based in Bulawayo where pro-senate MDC officials are running for senate seats, the archbishop said there has been no excitement or passion in these elections. He said he has seen no reporters at all as opposed to other elections, and there are no observers either.
As for the introduction of a senate, Archbishop Ncube said politicians rejected the idea back in 1990, and reminded us that Zimbabweans themselves voted no to a senate in 2000 when they rejected the government’s draft constitution. Like the majority of those opposed to the senate, the archbishop believes it was forced on the people in order to employ Robert Mugabe’s cronies who were defeated in the parliamentary elections.
If these figures are anything to go by, voter turnout on Saturday will surely be the final statement to the government regarding its latest political ploy, the senate.