Public meetings on constitutional reform have been marred by an resurgence of violence, writes BILL CORCORANin Harare
ZIMBABWEAN PRIME minister Morgan Tsvangirai has warned that his party will reverse its decision to take part in elections next year if the recent surge in violence affecting constitutional outreach meetings with the public is not brought under control.
In recent weeks the Movement for Democratic Change leader and his transitional government partner, president Robert Mugabe, indicated a new election was needed to overcome the country’s stalled powersharing deal.
Zimbabwe has stabilised since the widespread violence that marred the aftermath of the 2008 presidential poll, which left at least 200 MDC supporters dead, because of the acceptance by political parties of a compromise powersharing deal mediated by regional leaders.
However, since it came into existence Mugabe has refused to ratify a number of key elements of the deal, including government appointments, unless international sanctions against him and his cronies are lifted.
Both parties indicated they hoped fresh polls would break the political deadlock and return democracy to the political system.
However, an escalation in violence by people linked to Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party at meetings around the country, which were designed to garner public input for a new constitution, has led to the process in some areas, including Harare, to be suspended.
On Monday Tsvangirai said the violence had made him reconsider his position regarding the holding of fresh elections. He called for it to be tackled, as the creation of a new constitution that had input from the whole country was paramount before a poll could take place.
Since his presidency began after independence was secured from colonial rule in 1980, Mugabe has amended the constitution on 19 occasions using his party’s parliamentary majority, in order to strengthen his grip on power. Consequently, a new constitution is needed to level the political playing field.
“I am disturbed by reports of violence during the current constitution-making exercise. Reports of violence in Mbare and elsewhere throughout the country are a negation of the new spirit we had begun to build in the country,” said Tsvangirai.
“This needless violence is both a reminder of the dark past and a threat to a bright future. Either as a state agent or a political party activist, how does one disrupt an important national process such as constitution-making?” he said.
The MDC leader’s change of heart about the readiness of the country to hold free and fair polls reflects the mood of many in Zimbabwe. The initial call by politicians for a new vote has gained little support from a population traumatised by the sporadic violence used by Zanu-PF to hold on to power since its controversial land reform programme began in 2000.
From the general public to the newly established Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), few believe the economic and political environment is conducive to a free and fair poll.
Last week the ZEC chairman, former high court judge Simpson Mutambanengwe, told a meeting in Harare that rushing into a new vote before the necessary preparations were made would inevitably lead to a disputed poll.
“Problems could arise if elections are proclaimed before proper preparations can be made, and electoral reforms have been passed and taken hold. The prospects for the next elections are dependent on a number of factors.
“Some of these factors may be within the control of the commission provided it is sufficiently funded, but many are out of its control,” he said before adding that the powersharing agreement should only end once a referendum on a new constitution had taken place.
Tsvangirai met South African president Jacob Zuma, the regional mediator in the political crisis, last Wednesday to push for fresh elections next year, and Mugabe ordered the treasury to put aside $200m (€152m) to pay for the poll.
The idea of a fresh election strikes fear into the heart of Harare taxi driver Nathan Gwanzura, a father-of-four who has managed to rebuild his life in the two years since the disputed presidential election of 2008.
He said he and many friends were afraid that a new poll would mean a return to the state- sponsored violence of the past.
“It was an awful period for us in Zimbabwe and we never want to go back to those days. Life now is still hard and we do want things to change, but there must be a peaceful environment if elections are to take place,” he said.
A recent poll by the newly launched independent daily newspaper News Dayasking who would win the next general election showed just how nervous people are about the re-emergence of political violence. Of more than 1,100 respondents asked to indicate which party they would vote for if an election was held on the day of the interview, 41 per cent refused to answer or said their preference was a secret.