Zimbabwe: Elections

Indulging in political blame game is a very common trend in electoral politics these days. The post-election scenario in Zimbabwe only take the game up further. Zimbabwe's long-time President Robert Mugabe’s party, the Zimbabwe African National Union  has ousted the counter parties in the countries recent election by registering 61 per cent votes. However, Mugabe's rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, and the leader of oppositon party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has alleged that Mugabe's party indulged in vote rigging. The MDC has denounced the presidential election by saying that the poll was “null and void.” In contrast, the 89-year-old president Mugabe has claimed that Zimbabweans have casted their votes freely and peacefully. Moreover, he claims that "We are delivering democracy on a platter. Never will we go back on our victory."

But Mugabe’s opponent has challenged the verdict in court and is demanding for an immediate re-election. Whatever is the truth, the  court room drama is yet to establish, if it can. But the claim of Tsvangirai and his party cannot be ignored completely. The largest group of domestic observers, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), has also observed some irregularities in some specific areas during the election. Thus, the outcome of the election verdict in Zimbabwe has come to be questioned worldwide. The nation seems to be losing its faith in democracy, politics and ballot box.

Erosion of public faith in democracy is not a phenomena confined to Zimbabwe alone. Recent studies have found that democracy is also losing its sheen in countries like India and Canada as well. That's a portentuous sign as it costs a lot of money to organise and conduct elections. For a country like Zimbabwe, among the least developed democracies in the world, even holding a farce election is not without its costs. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has estimated that a national election cost the country around $219 million. So, if Zimbabwe really wants to taste the fruits of democracy, then it has to bring in reforms to its electoral process.

Only then can its young generation hope to take over the reins from the gerontocracy in national politics and breathe fresh air into its moldering public services.