Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Report — Of Stuffed ballots and Empty Stomachs
Executive Summary
That Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF was able to win the March 2005 Parliamentary
Election, despite the massive economic decline under its governance, seems to defy logic and
invites an investigation as to whether the election was fair, whether people were able to cast
their vote freely over the voting period, and whether the announced results accurately reflected
the vote. The first issue of “fairness” was largely canvassed in the Human Rights NGO
Forum’s report on the pre-election period, which found that the pre-election conditions were
not conducive to a free and fair election. In examining the other issues, it is necessary to look at
the electoral process and to analyze the polling figures for any indication of rigging. A
common thread that runs through all the various pieces of legislation that establish and regulate
the electoral process in Zimbabwe, is that those responsible for its implementation and
supervision are almost all either selected by government or subject to government interference
and influence. In the 2005 election this was manifested by the presence in the electoral process
of military personnel, or personnel with a military background, with, in addition, a significant
influence being exerted by a partisan police force. The result was that in many instances
procedures were flouted entirely and with impunity. When procedures were followed, they
were often implemented in a partisan or anomalous manner. This led to opportunities for
rigging the vote and a suspicious electorate. However, an analysis of voting figures by polling
station suggests that if there was any stuffing of ballot boxes, it was not significant enough to
affect the result. More people turned out to vote for ZANU-PF than the MDC. The reason for
this is to be found in the pre-electoral conditions. In drought prone Zimbabwe, the threat to
withhold famine relief is a powerful weapon. Rather than employing the macro and endemic
intimidation that characterized the previous two elections, ZANU-PF intimidated at the micro
level. Having increased the power of traditional leaders by giving them influence in the
distribution of food and land and having secured their sympathies through largesse, these
leaders were deployed to ensure that villagers voted and voted favourably. The voter turn out in
the rural areas was significantly higher than in urban areas. This strategy was combined with a
relentless campaign to portray the opposition and its supporters as responsible for Zimbabwe’s
economic decline and as enemies of the State. The opposition had little opportunity to
counteract this. Following the election period, the threats made prior to the election were
implemented. Food aid was withheld. People suspected of voting for the opposition were
assaulted and driven from their villages.
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