1 April 2005
editorial
Nairobi — Zimbabweans voted yesterday in parliamentary elections, with President Mugabe predicting his ruling Zanu-PF would extend its 25-year grip on power.
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai also said he was confident of victory, although he claimed the poll was not free and fair.
These elections are different from recent ones because the wanton violence against the opposition has been largely absent. But there have been allegations that food aid has been denied to opposition supporters.
From a sample of just 10 per cent of the register, one human rights group, FreeZim, estimated that the voters' roll listed up to one million dead people, more than 300,000 duplicate names, and one million people who no longer live at their registered addresses.
Yet, whether Dr Mugabe or Mr Tsvangirai wins, nothing short of a miracle can improve the ordinary Zimbabwean'slife in the short term.
Dr Mugabe took a good case for land redistribution - from a small group of white settler farmers to landless blacks - but made a disaster of it by unleashing ruling party thugs to violently take over the farms.
The result is that the country, which once had one of the world's most efficient agricultural economies, is today a basketcase with millions of people saved from starvation only by food aid.
Today, 60 per cent of Zimbabweans are unemployed and inflation "improved" from 622 per cent at the beginning of 2004 to 127 per cent last month.
Dr Mugabe has helped perpetuate a stereotype of African leaders as incompetent power-hungry maniacs, who begin well, but go on to wreck their countries decades later when they are senile.
If his party wins, Zimbabwe's misery will continue. If it loses, the MDC is not the kind of robust party that can be expected to turn things around quickly.
The result will be an opposition which raises hopes with victory, but dashes them once in power.
Africa should learn from the Zimbabwe case not to allow political parties and leaders to stay in power until they become hopeless.
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