BY DR MASIMBA MAVAZA | In 2018 CCC passing under the name MDC Alliance then, lost the general election, it went into overdrive with slander and vitrol.
More than that, its handlers and foreign sponsors joined the frenzied orgy of intemperate insult and scorn directed at Zanu PF, the government, the civil service, the Electoral Supervisory Commission under ZEC The abiding impression given by Chamisa’s opposition was and is that when his party loses an electoral context, the electoral system is both unfair and rigged; that every state organ who has a contrary opinion is captured.
There is a grave concern about a man and his party who have no respect for state organs; a leader and a party who are worse than sore loosers and who wants the world to believe that when they loose the whole state system must suffer denigration. How can such a man and such a party be entrusted to run a country and civil servants that he will not think twice of demeaning?
Following the outcome of the last week ‘s by-elections in the country, Chamisa is as quite as a stone. More than 48 hours have passed and we have not heard him thank the hard-working personnel who have been involved in the by-elections . Neither he nor his handlers have the decency to think that where they have directed (albeit unfaily) condemnation in the past they must niw direct complements. It is called maturity and civility.
We have not stopped hearing that Zanu PF lost and Chamisa won. What a fallacy!
This was an election that Zanu Pf went into with no risk of losing whatsoever. The only thing that would have happened to Zanu PF going into the context was to win. It won ….. seats which belonged to the opposition from the last general elections.
The seats which were being contested were opposion seats that had been vacant because of the perennial debacle and in their chaotic ranks. Plainly Zanu Pf could not have lost what it was not theirs.
As a matter of fact Zanu PF goes into the next general election still holding its majority. Even more importantly, it has not lost a single seat to the opposition. So this over-the-top celebration of an empty victory is motivated either by crude ignorance or by lack of ambition. How can an ambitous party celebrate when it has not gained any ground on the ruling party?
There is another explanation for these awkward CCC celebrations. The explanation is that the CCC viewed the elections to be a context betwen them and Douglas Mwonzora’s party. In that perspective they were victorious as they managed to wrestle the seats from that party. However, where does it leave CCC in relation to power?
The fight against Mwonzora’s party and the over-exuberent celebrations reveals that CCC is not even interested to be a government in waiting. It has reached its actualisation by its triumph over the opposition.
There is a very important victory here and this victory was not for CCC. It was for democracy. We have known this victory over a long time and hoped Chamisa would finally acknowledged it. The by-elections once again and in a striking manner demonstrated that in Zimbabwe anyone can win the elections; that no one interferes with elections. Will Mr Chamisa acknowledge that?
It is so sad that when the election outcome does not go Chamisa’s way there is allegedly no democracy in Zimbabwe. If it goes his way then the people have spoken.
While CCC is celebrating the seats which were always in their pockets we must critically look at the figures and see who is supposed to be celebrating.
The Bi-elections were to replace mostly the recalled CCC members who were at that time called MDC A. The battle for ZANU PF was beyond enemy lines. It was in the home ground for the CCC. So CCC has won its usual strongholds that is the Urban areas winning 19 out of 28 constituencies while Zanu PF has 9 seats to make 9/28. The numbers did not reflect the celebrations.
The best scenario to explain this is that, you have Ten loaves of bread. They are yours. Then i come and fight you for your loves. If you lose even one to me it means you have lost. So ZANU PF went in the Arena and snatched nine seats of which two were previously under MDC A now called CCC. It is a wishful thinking for the CCC to jump up and down.
Effectively CCC has been telling us that Zimbabwe had always had free and fair elections. It is therefore imperative that the CCC should acknowledge that elections in Zimbabwe are always free and fair. The other point we must critically look at is that,in the nine constituencies won by Zanu PF, the cumulative number of votes is 76 355 while in the same 9 constituencies won by Zanu PF, the CCC polled 24 307 giving a difference of *52 228* votes.
This speaks volumes of what is in-store for the CCC come 2023. Remember that these figures are from only nine constituencies*
The CCC won 19 constituencies with a cumulative vote number of 105 492 while Zanu PF in those 19 constituencies attained 51 864 giving a difference of *53 628* votes. The statistics are from 19 constituencies*
In all the constituencies including CCC strongholds all votes casted for CCC are *129 799* (winning 19 constituencies) while is Zanu PF with a few stronghold constituencies polled *128 399* (winning 9 constituencies)
Zanu PF has done extremely well in a by election where majority of the constituencies belonged to the opposition in 2018. To that end the opposition did not even protest about electoral reforms. It has shown that elections in Zimbabwe has always been fair.
If we look at the overall expected voter for the 28 constituencies the figure come to 700 000. Total votes cast comes to 258,198 which is 37% of the expected vote. Such a high level of apathy is good statistics to a political planner.
ZANU PF now needs to work on the huge supporters who abstained.
It is a fact that Zimbabwe has never failed in any election. This has been shown by the absence of any complain by CCC and his party.