With just more than a week to the controversial Senate elections in Zimbabwe, there is little sign of campaigning or of the traditional acrimonious exchange that normally occurs between the ruling Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
In previous times Harare would have been decked out in colourful party posters of rival candidates, but this time round the only posters adorning the lamp posts are of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission encouraging people to make their mark on November 26.
Two weeks ago, Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa confessed to Parliament that he wasn’t sure if the Foreign Affairs Ministry had sent out invitations to observer missions — another bone of contention in the highly charged elections.
Usually the MDC would feistily contest electoral violations, but this time rival factions in the party trade blows over who speaks for the party. All the while the rift, over whether it should participate in the poll widens, and violent clashes between opposing youth blocs has cost one man an eye, while 18 other people have been arrested.
Zanu-PF, it appears, has not felt the need to unleash its war veterans in the run-up to the ballot, in which analysts have predicted a poor turnout.
Electoral Commission chairperson George Chiweshe on Thursday told the Mail & Guardian that it was “100% ready”. But why would it not be, with little more than half (31 out of 50) of the seats being contested.