Only Politics

What is the use of holding elections if the political party that held power for 28-years has warned the opposition that under no circumstances they would be handed over the political reign of the country? Robert Mugabe, the 84-year old President of Zimbabwe has overtly planned to rig the presidential and parliamentary elections of the country to be held on 29 March. The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front( Zanu-PF) had given Zimbabwe widespread hunger, mass unemployment, 100,000% inflation and a currency that is so much devalued that the few people who are employed are paid in billions of Zimbabwe dollars. Under such circumstances, it is natural that the voters of the country do not want to see the Mugabe government back in power. Sensing popular resentment, the ruling Zanu-PF party has printed millions of extra ballots, intimidated rural voters by threatening cut in their food supply and deployed its loyal police force to oversee voting inside the polling booths. However, Ian Makoni, election director for Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition Presidential candidate of the Movement for Democratic Change has warned Mugabe that the opposition will not repeat the mistakes they made in 2002, when the elections were rigged, and remain mute spectator to the political deception. Instead, taking cue from the Kenyans, they would organize mass demonstrations that would force Mugabe to step down. The European Union had earlier expressed their concern about the possibility of holding free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections in Zimbabwe. Observers from EU and the United States have not been invited to oversee the elections, but 47 observer teams from the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, China, Russia and Iran have been invited. The Human Rights Watch has accused the Electoral Commission of Zimbabwe of being inadequately prepared for the polls and of discriminatory behavior in favor of the Zanu-PF. Further, the media of the country is campaigning on behalf of the ruling party. Under these circumstances, Zimbabweans as well as the global community are waiting to see the actual outcome of the elections.