Analysts say free and fair elections will depend on political climate

By Tichaona Sibanda
27 November 2007

The country is far away from staging free and fair elections because voters in Zimbabwe still don’t enjoy broad freedom to criticize government, to publish their criticism and to present alternatives, according to a political analyst.

The government recently published new electoral laws that it said would provide a better electoral framework. But Cape Town based political analyst Glen Mpani said only when the ruling Zanu-PF regime guarantees basic human rights, values tolerance, allows equality before the law and the due process of law, will people talk of free and fair elections.
Mpani told Newsreel on Tuesday that despite a glimmer of hope resulting from the ongoing SADC sponsored talks there was still a dangerous climate of hatred between Zanu-PF and MDC leaders and their respective supporters to allow for a political climate conducive of elections. He said politicians should instead tolerate one another and acknowledge that each has a legitimate and important role to play.
‘Whatever happens at the talks, we would still fall short of holding free and fair elections. There is little time left to implement the new electoral laws. The problem in the country is we have a regime that wants to rush to stage an election to give its rule the aura of legitimacy. In such elections, you get only one candidate with no alternative choices from a failed government. And through intimidation or rigging that candidate is chosen. That’s not what you call a democratic election,’ Mpani said.

He explained that opposition parties and candidates must enjoy freedom of speech, assembly, and movement and be allowed to voice their criticisms of the government openly. This provides alternative policies and candidates to the voters.

In Zimbabwe’s case simply permitting the opposition access to the ballot is not enough. An election, in which the opposition is barred from the media and has its rallies banned, is not democratic.

‘To be fair to the mediation process, on paper the electoral laws have improved but we still have to witness any changes in the political climate on the ground. The violence is still there, the opposition is not being allowed to hold rallies and they are not getting any coverage from the state media,’ Mpani said.