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NewsDay

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Comment: Stop flip-flopping on election dates

Columnists
At last, President Robert Mugabe now seems to have smelt the coffee and awakened to the realisation that it is impossible to have general elections this year without a new constitution. Before last week’s climbdown, President Mugabe (87), had maintained they would stick to Zanu PF’s Mutare resolution for holding elections this year and he […]

At last, President Robert Mugabe now seems to have smelt the coffee and awakened to the realisation that it is impossible to have general elections this year without a new constitution.

Before last week’s climbdown, President Mugabe (87), had maintained they would stick to Zanu PF’s Mutare resolution for holding elections this year and he had vowed to defy his GNU partners and the Sadc bloc.

Last Friday, President Mugabe told the Zanu PF National Consultative Assembly elections would only be possible next March after a new constitution has been adopted.

And as has become predictable with the President, he chose March instead of May as suggested by his partners just to add further confusion to the process.

His coalition government partners, the two MDCs, civic society and Sadc, have made it clear elections are only possible from around May after the constitution, voters’ roll and many other requirements have been agreed on.

The other parties have suggested next May or even 2013. One wonders about this rush for early polls by Zanu PF.

It won’t come as any surprise if tomorrow President Mugabe wakes up proclaiming yet another date.

Is it that he is now getting worried over his age, health and/or internal party squabbles or is he just raising political dust to confuse his political enemies?

Or, worse still, is it a question of indicating left and turning right?

This is not the first time President Mugabe has flip-flopped on major policy issues.

And this doesn’t augur well for business and ordinary citizens who need clarity on such important issues before drawing up their own individual plans.

President Mugabe and his erstwhile rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, formed an inclusive government in February 2009 to end a decade of economic and political strife, but the government has been continuously dogged by internal wrangling and sharp disagreements on policy.

Tsvangirai, the veteran MDC-T leader, has said he will not support any unilateral decision taken by President Mugabe on elections.

By their very nature, Zimbabwe elections tend to raise a lot of uncertainty. So Zanu PF, and more precisely President Mugabe, need to be reminded to play ball and not politic on such a critical calendar event as elections.

“Zanu PF has done everything to accommodate the unending list of demands from the other partners in the inclusive government,” he was quoted as saying.

Although the three parties in the shaky coalition government have agreed on the election roadmap paving the way for free and fair elections, the actual timing of the polls has remained a bitterly contested issue.

If the constitution-making process flops or the draft is rejected, elections would be held when they are constitutionally due in 2013.

It is clear the prospect of elections in 2013 was now compelling Zanu PF to change its strategy and tactics. President Mugabe is only likely to be endorsed by the party as a candidate if polls are held this year or early next year.

Once they are delayed to 2013, it would not be practical or reasonable to field President Mugabe as a candidate mainly due to old age and ill-health.

Zimbabwe is bigger than anyone in Zanu PF hence the people must be allowed to go on with their lives without any threats from Zanu PF or anyone else from the former ruling party.