Zimbabwe: Mugabe Again Pushes for 2011 Elections

Faith Zaba

15 July 2011

Harare — ZANU PF is in a state of confusion over election timelines after its politburo insisted on Wednesday that general polls would be held this year contrary to the agreement of the coalition government’s tripartite negotiators.

The three political parties’ negotiators had agreed on polls being held sometime in 2012 after full implementation of the election roadmap.

The politburo’s latest stance could jeopardise ongoing GPA negotiations and undermine Sadc’s mediation role.

Zanu PF negotiators Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche were instructed by the politburo to revise the agreed GPA timelines and ensure that the roadmap was fast-tracked to allow for holding of elections this year.

Agreed issues on the roadmap include lifting of sanctions, completion of the constitution-making process, media reforms, rule of law and amendments to electoral laws, among others. Timelines for security sector reforms remain in dispute since Zanu PF insists that Zimbabwe’s security sector is highly professional and respected worldwide.

Politburo insiders told the Zimbabwe Independent that President Robert Mugabe set the tone of the meeting by stating that he wanted elections held this year triggering a flurry of endorsements from his followers.

“The president spoke first and said elections should be held this year and everyone else agreed. There were no opposing views,” said one source.

This is not the first time Zanu PF has come up with a position contrary to that taken by its negotiators together with their counterparts from the two MDC formations.

In August 2010 the negotiating teams came up with an implementation matrix with timelines on 23 agreed issues which were rejected by the politburo. The Zanu PF bigwigs insisted that they were no longer going to make any more concessions until sanctions were removed.

They were adamant that implementation of agreed issues should all be done simultaneously with the lifting of sanctions.

Asked why the politburo differed with its mandated negotiators, Zanu PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said there were no contradictions, divisions or confusion within the party over elections.

“We appealed to our negotiators to try and cut down the timelines. There is no contradiction at all. The timelines are too long and we want them shortened,” said Gumbo.

On the negotiators’ response to the party’s push for elections this year, Gumbo said: “There was no response. The decision was unanimous. I don’t know how they are going to go about it, but the party is concerned that the timelines are too long.”

The constitution-making process has been stalling due to funding problems and bickering between the political parties, but Gumbo said it was possible to craft a draft if timelines were shortened.

“We stand by our party position that elections will be held this year. That position has not changed,” insisted Gumbo.

However, two senior Zanu PF officials have already publicly declared that elections could not realistically be held this year.

Chief negotiator Chinamasa said three months ago: “It’s my opinion that it is not possible to hold elections this year.”

The party’s legal guru Emmerson Mnangagwa told the UK’s Sunday Telegraph that if a referendum was held in October, elections could only be possible in February next year.

Mugabe has been pushing for elections this year saying he was fed-up with the inclusive government and the GPA. His position is strongly backed by the country’s security chiefs and party hawks whose views are widely articulated by politburo member Jonathan Moyo.

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