The Sunday News
Vincent Gono,Features Editor
CALL it a democratic milestone, demystification of the office of President or anything that comes to mind, the fact remains that Zimbabwe has 23 candidates for the country’s top political office.
Had five others not been disqualified for having papers that did not meet the nomination court criteria, they could have been 28 candidates all in all, at least according the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
Compared to previous elections the number is just too much that it warrants questions and answers as to what has happened now that was not happening before, that has suddenly ballooned the number of contestants for the Presidential post race.
Notwithstanding the fact that some of the names of candidates and their parties remain little known in most parts of the country, they filed their papers and paid the required fee of $1 000 at the nomination courts. Most of the names are unknown while the parties they represent remain known in the media that announced them and little else. Some of the parties only featured at the nomination courts and one wonders where they have been all this long, making it relevant to question not only their sincerity but their seriousness as well.
Political analysts contend that the race for the presidential button remain a contest between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC-T president Adv Nelson Chamisa. They say all others are just there to facilitate democracy as a system of Government and nothing else as most of them are not known, while those that are known do not have the political clout to be counted as serious contenders.
Mr Michael Mhlanga a political analyst posits that, “The real race is between President ED and Adv Chamisa, contestants who represent two extreme and dominant ends of our politics, ED belonging to the dominantly conservative populace of Zimbabwe and Chamisa the liberal leader of an enthusiastic generational consensus — those are the defining parameters of our politics now,” he said.
He added that the number of presidential aspirants this year is not good and reflects a political atmosphere that cries out loud for guidance.
“To me 23 Presidential aspirants is too much a number to reflect a healthy democracy. Instead it proves the extreme problems of an unguided democracy. To be honest, some candidates (from their image presentation which has an effect on electorate perception) are only interested in lodging their names in our political history as “those who once were on the presidential ballot”. The numerous and record entry suggests two things (i) an open democracy that inspired many to assume the public mandate of national leadership, yet (ii) a wastage of political time for serious election issues and a bridle of confusion to the voters,” he said.
Mr Mhlanga added that the increase in the number of presidential aspirants could be interpreted to mean an increase in trust of the country’s electoral system in the aftermath of the November 2017 political changes.
“Indeed, an increase in the aspirants compared to before is a clear sign that all those people have gained trust in the electoral system. A comparative analysis of Zimbabwe elections shows us that an increase in electoral participation is a positive reaction to the existing system. One registers because they feel they have an equal and fair chance of winning should voters trust them,” he said.
Another political analyst Mr Jowere Mukusha said while the number of participants pointed to a democratic rebirth of the country’s governance system, the number was just too much and makes one believe that some of the aspirants never calculated their chances of winning. He said it was worrying that some of the aspirants seem not to mind losing both the money, and the election in the excitement presented by the new political dispensation.
He shared the same sentiments with Mr Mhlanga that the real contest was going to be between President Mnangagwa and Adv Chamisa with all others coming a distance behind.
“Multi-party democracy is a growing phenomenon in Zimbabwe. The people are increasingly becoming confident of the electoral systems courtesy of the new political dispensation that has opened everything to the country. It will seem like people were previously shut down but they simply had no confidence in the electoral system.
“However, we should be worried of some of the faces that have succeeded in the nomination process. We have seen unkempt faces of people that look more like ganja smokers that would only add fun and drama on the local political scene which is not bad. Some of the guys should just be dismissed as not serious as they come — just comical conspirators to a serious political contest,” said Mr Mukusha.
He said people should guard against abuse of democracy for the sake of furthering their political CVs as contestants to the highest political office adding that the memory of a good majority was going to be hastily lost to the winds that weeps tirelessly down the unforgiving but forgetful politically rugged slopes.
Zec Commissioner Dr Qhubani Moyo said the high number of aspirants to the president’s office was a sign of open democracy, adding that it was a good pointer to the good work that Zec was doing in restoring public confidence.
“It’s a sign of confidence in the electoral processes of the country. If people were not confident we were most likely not going to see this stampede. To Zec all the candidates carry equal weight and standing and all have an equal chance of winning. We will therefore let people of Zimbabwe evaluate and our role will be to announce what is going to be thrown in the ballot box,” said Dr Moyo.
He said 28 had submitted papers for the presidential post but five fell by the wayside, leaving 23 who were successful.
