Zimbabwe: A Gathering of Discontents
By Knox Chitiyo
15 May 2008
More than a month after the 29 March 2008 ‘harmonised’ presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections in Zimbabwe, the political process remains mired in controversy. The state-affiliated Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and the High Court have resisted opposition and international pressure to announce results of the presidential vote, preferring instead to have a state managed ‘recount’ of the parliamentary and presidential vote across twenty-three constituencies. The intention here is clearly to reverse the Movement for Democratic Change’s (MDC) narrow parliamentary majority, and continue with a ZANU-PF dominated parliament. However, the state’s control of the electoral system has become increasingly porous, and there is no doubt that the 2008 elections have weakened the state’s chokehold on Zimbabwean politics.
15 May 2008
More than a month after the 29 March 2008 ‘harmonised’ presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections in Zimbabwe, the political process remains mired in controversy. The state-affiliated Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and the High Court have resisted opposition and international pressure to announce results of the presidential vote, preferring instead to have a state managed ‘recount’ of the parliamentary and presidential vote across twenty-three constituencies. The intention here is clearly to reverse the Movement for Democratic Change’s (MDC) narrow parliamentary majority, and continue with a ZANU-PF dominated parliament. However, the state’s control of the electoral system has become increasingly porous, and there is no doubt that the 2008 elections have weakened the state’s chokehold on Zimbabwean politics.
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