1 zimbabwe election support network [zesn] - Nehanda Radio

Introduction
CHAPTER FOUR
PRE-29 MARCH ELECTION CAMPAIGNS AND POLLING RESULTS
The pre-election or run up phase is a very integral phase of every electoral process. While
election observers and monitors tend to be preoccupied with events a few days before and
after the polling day, the election outcome is in essence the cumulative interplay of scenarios
several months prior to the polling day. Underscored here is that an election outcome cannot
be meaningfully unraveled outside its pre-election day dynamics. Such approaches, besides
reducing elections to events on the polling day, seriously compromise capacity to capture and
unravel the entire dynamics of electoral processes, often leading to premature conclusions.
Cognisant of this, ZESN has over the years conducted country-wide, rural-focused, and, long
term pre and post election observation systems that have enabled it to pick architectural and
practice gaps that may pose serious threats to future elections. To this end, this chapter 5 will
focuss on analyzing the political environmental climates, identifying the main political
contestants and their campaign styles.
Electoral Environment
While incidents of violence were reported in both rural and urban areas, on the whole the pre-
29 March electoral environment was generally peaceful and calm with some encouraging
semblance of political tolerance with youths from various contesting political parties and
independents donning their own party regalia and freely mingling while traditional “no go areas”
for opposition political parties were also fairly open to opposition politics.
Up to December 2007, political campaigns were largely on the low side with solidarity marches
organized by the war veterans in support of Robert Mugabe as the ruling party presidential
candidate, as major election related activities. Other notable election related political activities
include the convening of the ZANU PF extraordinary Congress on 4 th of December 2007,
announcement of the preliminary results of the delimitation exercise by the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission, announcement of 29 March 2008 as the Election day as well as the reiteration by
the President that election observers from “unfriendly” countries would not be allowed to
observe the 2008 elections.
Also of political significance was that the South African brokered negotiations between the
MDC and ZANU PF had reportedly reached a stalemate with haggling over the election date
and the adoption of a new constitution before the elections. The MDC insisted that elections be
deferred until a new constitution was in place while the ZANU PF delegation maintained their
stance to go ahead with the elections under the current constitution. MDC threats to boycott the
election if its demands were not met were dismissed and ridiculed by ZANU PF as fear of
“obvious defeat”.
On the MDC side, there were speculations of a possible election pact or re-unification between
the MDC [Mutambara] and the MDC [Tsvangirai] factions, developments which however did not
come to fruition as the two factions entered the 29 March Election race divided. Also notable
was the announcement by ZANU PF politiburo member Simba Makoni that he would contest
the presidency as an independent candidate, media reports that former Minister of Information
Jonathan Moyo and former Harare South legislator Margaret Dongo had filed court papers
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