The successful referendum on the new constitution at the weekend heralded a major step towards the realisation of the long-held dream of a credible election in Zimbabwe.
For more than four years the three parties in the inclusive government had struggled to put together a new charter and this had threatened to torpedo the Southern African Development Community (Sadc)-supervised roadmap to fresh polls.
A new democratic constitution was one of the major signposts on the Sadc roadmap.
This is one of the reasons the majority of Zimbabweans celebrated when the draft constitution passed the crucial test in the March 16 vote.
At one point a new constitution looked unlikely after Zanu PF hardliners led by Jonathan Moyo fought hard to derail the process claiming that it was too costly and had been hijacked.
That the three governing parties — MDC, MDC-T and Zanu PF — for once managed to put national interests ahead of their partisan agendas was worth celebrating.
However, the constitution milestone must not lull Zimbabweans into complacency because we are still a long way from creating an ideal environment for a free and fair election.
Already there are conflicting signals from the inclusive government on the timing of the elections following the adoption of the new constitution. On Tuesday President Robert Mugabe told journalists in Rome that elections must be held by June 29 and he ruled out any extension to the deadline. His position was reiterated by Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa, who said he was “not entertaining the holding of the elections after June 29 unless circumstances beyond my control happen”. On a different platform back in Harare, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs minister Eric Matinenga was on Wednesday articulating a completely different position. Matinenga said harmonised elections were likely to be held between June 29 and October 29.
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He based his argument on the fact that the life of the current Parliament expires on June 29, the date when Mugabe was sworn in.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is also on record saying elections were only possible in July.
The conflicting pronouncements by Mugabe and his ministers is a clear indication that the inclusive government has no coherent timetable for fresh elections.
Such signals not only dampen confidence among voters, but spell doom for the economy that has suffered severely because of indecisive politicians.
The inclusive government must capitalise on the success of the referendum to set out a clear plan for elections to restore confidence not only in the economy, but also in our electoral processes.
Mugabe has the responsibility to ensure that his government sings from the same hymn book because this confusion over the timing of elections raises questions about his leadership capacity.
