Zimbabwe set for landmark election – Ngulani

He made a power-sharing deal with the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Morgan Tsvangirai in September 2008 after the crisis that resulted from that year’s election. With the deal, Tsvangirai became prime minister in the inclusive government. But it has been a shaky partnership, and a new constitution was approved ahead […]

He made a power-sharing deal with the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Morgan Tsvangirai in September 2008 after the crisis that resulted from that year’s election. With the deal, Tsvangirai became prime minister in the inclusive government. But it has been a shaky partnership, and a new constitution was approved ahead of fresh elections slated for tomorrow July 31, 2013. The MDC earlier argued that reforms prescribed by the new constitution be allowed to take shape before the election, necessitating an extension of date, but the country’s constitutional court ruled that the election must proceed as planned. The country’s High Commissioner to Nigeria Ambassador Mabed Ngulani in this interview provides an insight into issues concerning the election. Excerpt:

Capital:                       Harare
President:                   Robert Mugabe
Prime Minister:           Morgan Tsvangirai
Population:                 12.75 m (2011) World Bank
Currencies:                 US $, Euro, S/African rand, Botswana pula, UK £
Official languages:     English, Shona, Northern Ndebele
Government:              Semi-presidential system, Republic

Your Excellency, presidential election holds tomorrow in your country, several issues have been raised, especially by the opposition as regards the timing and reforms, are your people ready for the election?
Well, thank you, as you know, the election date was decided once the president proclaimed it, and the constitutional court said the election must be held on July 31. All along, other parties were saying the election was process-driven, not date-driven, but being the law-abiding citizens that Zimbabweans are, once the constitutional court says it’s on the 31st, so it has to be on the 31st, because we are simply now obeying a court order.
Obeying a court order is practically different from actual preparedness for an election as significant as this one. Does this order align with the nation’s readiness for this poll?
You must have been following the media in Zimbabwe and you know what happened before and after the court order, obviously, on the election and actions of the armed forces you know there were some glitches, even the Zimbabwe electoral commission issued a statement that there were some glitches. I think between the date of proclamation and holding, the time was very small, given the fact that we did not have money for this election. So the printing of the ballot papers was delayed and delivery of materials to various polling stations was delayed. That’s what caused the glitches.
Given the time frame, especially as demanded by the opposition MDC that time was needed for reforms to take shape but the court gave this order, fears are being raised about the credibility of this election, are Zimbabweans convinced they would get a credible result from the election?
I think all over Africa we should all be working for free, fair, credible and transparent elections. All over Africa, not just in Zimbabwe, that’s what Africa needs-free, fair, credible elections for the people of the countries, for the region and for the whole world. Like I said once the court made the ruling the election had to go on. Credibility of an election is not what happens on election day.
The credibility happens as a build-up to that election. As you know, we are in a transitional government, a political agreement for a government of national unity with three main parties, the other parties were saying the time was very small, we don’t have the money to prepare for election in the given time and the other things that have been agreed like amendment to certain issues have not been attended to, that’s what the other parties were saying but one party was saying we are going to go ahead without those amendments. That is why people are saying, will we have a free, fair and credible election if haven’t done what we agreed to do?
In view of those complaints, you remember the problems associated with the previous election, are we convinced that there will be no repeat, especially with the present tension?
Convinced, I don’t know. All I can say is, we hope we don’t have what happened in 2008. I pray we don’t have the post-election violence, especially the one that came with the run-up in June. I pray we don’t have that.
You’re not convinced that it will not happen?
Well, may be, let me not read into people’s mind. We are talking about millions of people who are going to vote, and I really can’t speak for the majority of the people of Zimbabwe. All we are saying is we are all working to prevent that kind of thing from happening.    
The government appears a bit apprehensive about the involvement of international journalists in the election as to prevent full coverage, for instance, a Kenyan journalist was detained in Harare last week for entering Zimbabwe to cover the election while accreditation of other journalists has been a tactical hurdle, is your government hiding something?
You must make a distinction here between the government and political parties in Zimbabwe. The government now is made of three main political parties. It’s not the three political parties that have delayed accreditation of international observers. It’s not the three parties that have thwarted the registration of certain organisations, it’s not all the three parties that don’t want Zimbabwe to be scrutinised. Of the three parties, I think two wanted the election to be open to the whole world to observe, because they would say we have nothing to hide, but one party is the one….
Which obviously is the ruling party, because the Ministry of Information and Publicity which accredits journalists is a government organ, isn’t it?
You now want me to go into the intricacies of Zimbabwean politics, let me leave that one till another day. Because, strictly speaking, as a ruling party, you are the people who have got the majority in parliament to pass laws, which is not the case in Zimbabwe, there is no one party now that is the majority to pass laws alone.  
A party in the election recently opposed the appointment of former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo as head of the African Union observer team to the election, what prompted that objection?
I think like in any party in any country, there are always elements who are hardcore, but obviously that objection was overruled when the president said no, Obasanjo can come, so Obasanjo has gone, from my understanding.
There were fears from what I read, that Obasanjo was too critical of one party and sympathetic to the other parties, I don’t know what Obasanjo is thinking, so I can’t speak for him.
Realistically speaking, can you imagine Robert Mugabe losing an election in Zimbabwe under the present circumstance?
In a truly democratic setting, like the one that we purport to be, anyone can win an election and anyone can lose, that’s what democracy is all about, isn’t it? The voters are the winners because they are the ones who choose the person. So, yes, anyone can lose or win the election in a truly democratic, free, fair, credible setting.
Is Zimbabwe right now on a free, fair, credible setting?
Austine, it took us four years to write a democratic constitution, we are fairly happy with the new constitution. If we are to follow that, yes, a clear, uncontested winner would emerge. I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a freely elected democratic person but again, it’s what happens on the ground. You know what has been happening, so let me not get into that.
In the context of the avowed position of the Zimbabwe armed forces who say they only want a freedom fighter to be president, does Tsvangirai stand any chance to be president, even if he wins this election?
Let me tell you, southern Africa I’m sure you know, has never had a military government. We’ve never had a military government in southern Africa, not even one country, and so I don’t even see how we can have a military government when we’ve had a civilian election.
But the military appears not favourably disposed to having someone else outside Mugabe as president, how about that?
I think it’s just speculation. We have election tomorrow, let’s see what happens after the result is announced.
Are there lessons we could derive from elections in other countries that could be applied to the Zimbabwe situation?
 One, once you draw a constitution you must respect it, two, once you say you are a democratic country let democratic processes prevail, and three, let people vote freely, campaign freely, and elect their leaders freely. Even going to primary election level, let there be no imposition of candidates, that’s what democracy is all about–free choice by the majority who vote.