Zimbawe’s parliamentary elections have not been short on political drama. Former Zanu-PF spin doctor and propaganda chief Jonathan Moyo has now been linked to an initiative of setting up a “third political force”. According to media reports, Moyo is the perceived leader of a coalition of about 16 independent candidates who will contest the forthcoming elections. Like Moyo, the majority lost out in the primary elections and are drawn from the ranks of Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
It is not yet clear whether veteran independent and former leader of the Zimbabwe Union of Democrats Margaret Dongo (Harare Central) will be joining the alliance. However, what is clear is that the majority of the alliance members come from the Matabeleland constituencies. These include Alderman Charles Mpofu (Bulawayo South), Stars Mathe (Bulawayo North-East), Peter Nyoni (Hwange East) and Lloyd Siyoka (Beitbridge).
Political analysts and observers have for some time bemoaned the lack of a strong alternative to the traditional two-party race that has characterised all previous elections. The revival of the idea of establishing a third political formation, many political experts agree, will contribute to making democracy in Zimbabwe more viable and sustainable.
The main benefit of such a development, they argue, would be to defuse the current polarisation that has emanated from the rivalry between the two main political parties.
The fact that Zimbabwean voters are almost always forced to choose between two limited options of either keeping Zanu-PF in power or replacing it with one other party, such as the MDC, has led to a culture of political intolerance.
The prevalence of political violence over the years is also attributed to that unfortunate political divide. As it is today, the nation is so highly polarised that there is an unfair assumption that every citizen belongs to either Zanu-PF or the MDC.
Constitutionally speaking, Zimbabwe is a multiparty democracy. However, in practice, this has never really been the case. Since independence in 1980, the country has had what can be described as a bipolar political system. Election contests have always been the ruling party Zanu-PF being pitted against another party at a specific point in time.
In the first elections in March 1980 and in 1985, Zanu-PF had to square off with PF-Zapu. Then in 1990 it had to fight off the Zimbabwe Unity Movement. It was the same old story in 1995 when Zanu-PF dismissed a somewhat weak challenge from the Forum Party, and in 2000 it snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at the hands of the nascent MDC.
However, it is also trite to note that all the challengers, with the exception of the MDC, have been shrugged off by a resilient Zanu-PF. And, as it is, there are justified fears that owing to the current uneven electoral playing field, the MDC too might find its permanent place in the archives of the country’s political history after the March polls.
Such a situation will have the net effect of leaving Zanu-PF as the sole dominant party reminiscent of the failed “one party” days of the late 1980s — a period in which the nation witnessed some of its most shameful moments. These include a rise in state-related corruption cases such as the Willogate scandal (Cabinet ministers bought cars at discount and sold them on the black market for profit) and the notorious constitutional amendments that created the monstrous office of the Executive Presidency. Zimbabwe’s current political and socio-economic woes can be tracked to those years when there was no viable opposition.
The independent candidates’ coalition will have the welcome effect of broadening the spectrum of the current political divide. But above all else, it will give the electorate yet another political option and help to enhance the prospects of developing a new culture of tolerance.
Daniel Molokele is a human rights lawyer