Just four months before scheduled elections, and with a breakthrough in talks brokered by President Thabo Mbeki in sight, Zimbabweans are watching in dismay as the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) disintegrates and Zanu-PF tweaks electoral regulations in its favour.
Recently, there have been violent clashes between supporters of the MDC, reflecting bitter divisions between Morgan Tsvangirai and some of his most senior officials, partly over his refusal to keep secret details of meetings the MDC has been holding with Zanu-PF since April.
But Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Nelson Chamisa this week sought to play down fears of a further split in the MDC: ”The MDC as a democratic institution has sufficient mechanisms to deal with both the internal and external challenges that are fairly inevitable in such a mass-based organisation.”
But the row has added currency to debate about the emergence of a ”third way”, a new movement made up of disgruntled elements from both the MDC and Zanu-PF, where anger remains over President Robert Mugabe’s decision to stand for a sixth term next year.
Mugabe had previously stated that he would retire in 2008, but now says he can no longer trust his top lieutenants to preserve the unity of his Zanu-PF party.
But critics doubt there is any real prospect of the emergence of a third party and have instead slammed the opposition for allowing internal fighting to blind it to what they say are moves by Zanu-PF to pad its own nest as elections draw closer.
This week Mugabe ignored a key agreement with the opposition on the formation by Parliament of a new electoral body to run the elections, quietly stuffing the existing Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) with a new batch of loyalists.
Both parties had agreed to provisions, under Constitutional Amendment 18, which was enacted in September, establishing a new body that would register voters, demarcate constituencies and oversee preparations for elections.
But Zanu-PF appears to be willing only to go as far as changing a few faces in the important body. New appointments to the ZEC include figures previously employed as senior civil servants, including in the Registrar General’s office, which has run a voters’ roll so inefficient it has even been criticised by Zanu-PF itself.
Ian Makone, head of elections for Tsvangirai, and Paul Themba-Nyathi of the Arthur Mutambara-led MDC faction, said they will now press for the urgent enactment of an Electoral Laws Amendment Bill, which would effectively transfer all operations of commission to parliament, as agreed.
This week ZEC chairperson George Chiweshe rejected the opposition’s demands to be included in preparations for elections, saying his commission was independent, as ”the Constitution says we shall not be under anyone’s influence … that is exactly what we will follow”.
But a spokesperson for the National Constitutional Assembly, a group allied to the opposition that is campaigning for a new constitution, said the recent senior appointments to the ZEC were ”a clear testimony of Zanu-PF’s intention to run a controversial election next year. It also shows the lack of seriousness on the part of the government to guarantee a free and fair election in this country.”
He said the opposition parties needed to stop the infighting and concentrate on blocking Zanu-PF from taking any further action that will undermine the credibility of next year’s election.
Tsvangirai himself has dismissed suggestions that his fight with internal rivals has taken his attention away from elections, but he has repeated his doubts that the government really wants a free poll.
”The level of suffering of the majority of our people cannot be postponed any longer. People have no food, jobs, transport, drugs, water and power. The list is endless. We need to resolve the national crisis now, rather than later. This can only be done by creating the necessary environment for a free and fair election where Zimbabweans can freely choose a government of their choice, which can then immediately resolve the myriad economic problems besetting the country,” he was quoted as saying this week.
In spite of the internal battles, there appears to be some acknowledgement from the opposition that they face a big battle if elections next March are to be free and fair.
Eddie Cross, a policy adviser to Tsvangirai, said: ”The talks in South Africa are almost concluded — five months later than originally intended, the date for the elections is yet to be decided and then we get into the issue of the transition and the management of the election itself. Believe me, this is going to be a fight to the finish.”