Opposition dubs government poll win ‘hollow’

Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Tuesday that the ruling ZANU-PF’s victory in a key by-election at the weekend was only achieved through violence and intimidation. Speaking to IRIN on Tuesday, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said that “democracy had gone up in smoke in the election” and that his supporters in the Bikita West constituency were still being intimidated, despite the victory.

The official Ziana news agency said the ruling ZANU-PF party’s candidate, retired Colonel Cladius Makova, received 12,993 votes. His MDC rival Boniface Pakai took 7,001. Despite violent incidents in the run-up to the by-election, officials said polling had been largely without incident, and with a sharp drop in turnout on the second day. During the campaign, one ZANU-PF supporter was killed and MDC followers were reportedly widely harassed in a climate of thuggery that prevented any real electioneering taking place.

In general elections in June, the MDC captured Bikita West by a narrow margin but the seat fell vacant three months later when the MP died. The opposition had hoped to prove that it could hold on to the gains it made during the June polls, particularly in rural areas deemed ZANU-PF strongholds. “We acknowledge the victory, but the whole world knows that Bikita West was not won freely and fairly by (President Robert) Mugabe,” Tsvangirai said. He alleged that traditional leaders in Bikita West had been intimidated by ZANU-PF supporters and war veterans to the point where voters had no choice but to vote for the ruling party.

A spokesman for ZANU-PF said the result was an endorsement of President Mugabe’s land redistribution efforts.
But political scientist Masipule Sithole told IRIN there had been no opportunity to debate or discuss such issues in Bikita West due to the violence. “The government seems happy to show its totalitarian face every time the people are asked to decide, its a totally discredited result,” he said. Sithole warned that if the culture of political violence was allowed to grow unchecked in Zimbabwe then a society like Somalia, dominated by warlords, could emerge.

The MDC on Tuesday called for an independent electoral commission to be immediately established in Zimbabwe. “Without such a body we have no chance of running democratic polls here,” said Tsvangirai. The MDC is challenging more than 30 results from last June’s general election in the Supreme Court later this month. But the party holds out little chance of success - the government has already ignored two Supreme Court rulings ordering it to halt its controversial land reform programme.