Authoritarian regimes seize 4 arenas of contestation: ZDI
Grace Moyo
Political think tank, the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute has said competitive authoritarian regimes capture the judiciary, the legislature, the media and electoral management bodies which are key to the conduct of free, fair and democratic elections.
This was said in the organization’s newly released study titled ‘Zimbabwe’s 2023 election: FAZ, Law-fare and the menu of electoral manipulation which was launched last week.
According to the study, the judiciary is the first arena of contestation because it can adjudicate electoral disputes, protect civil and political rights, and check executive power.
“However, competitive authoritarian regimes often use law-fare and the security apparatus to undermine the independence and credibility of the judiciary,” says ZDI.
The huge role that the Zimbabwean judiciary has played and continues to play in the 2023 elections arguably lands credence to the study’s claims. The courts have been heavily involved in deciding who contests and who does not, Saviour Kasukuwere’s attempt to run in the presidential election suffered a still birth as the courts reversed his nomination on the strength that he was out of the country for more than six months. Political analysts had predicted that Kasukuwere would eat into Zanu PF’s votes, thereby aiding President Mnangagwa’s main challenger Nelson Chamisa. 87 MDC-T member of parliament candidates were also prevented from contesting because of payment issues.
“The second arena of contestation is the legislature because it can enact laws, oversee the executive and represent the interests of the people. However, competitive authoritarian regimes often use law-fare and security apparatus to manipulate the composition and functioning of the legislature,” the study says.
Turning to the media and the electoral management body, ZDI says these two arenas have been targeted by the ruling party to advance its interests.
“The study revealed that ZEC and state-controlled media have been key targets of deployment of state security apparatus to coerce political opponents of President Mnangagwa and his ZANU-PF party.”
“The ZANU-PF government has infiltrated and captured ZEC and deployed it to ensure victory of the ruling party in the 23 August 2023 election. Three observable facts justify this claim.
First, the ZANU-PF government has populated ZEC with relatives, allies and sympathisers of the top leadership of ZANU-PF. Second, the secretariat of ZEC has a huge number of retired members from the military including the chief elections officer Major Utloile Silaigwana when the alliance between ZANU-PF and the military is a public secret.Thirdly, the ZANU-PF party has deployed a quasi-military NGO FAZ to infiltrate ZEC, interfere with administration of elections and disperse manipulation and intimidation across the rural areas on behalf of ZANU-PF.”
In July 2022, Zanu PF Second Secretary, Kembo Mohadi’s daughter Abigail was appointed as ZEC commissioner in a move described many as unconstitutional but government defended her appointment saying she had a right to serve her country just like any other citizen.
“The ZANU-PF government has infiltrated and captured state-controlled media and deployed it to ensure victory of the ruling party in the 23 August 2023 election. Three observations justify this claim. First, the ZANU-PF government has appointed its loyalists and sympathisers as the heads and staff of the state-controlled media outlets, such as the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and The Herald. Secondly, the ZANU-PF government has used the state-controlled media to propagate its propaganda and agenda, while suppressing or discrediting the voices and views of the opposition parties and civil society groups.Thirdly, the ZANU-PF government has restricted or denied access to alternative sources of information and media, such as independent newspapers, radio stations, websites, and social media platforms.”
