Boycotting the June 27 election is essential (Please pass on!)
June 25th, 2008
ACTION: This was emailed to our subscribers this evening. Please can everyone reading this blog forward the information to everyone that this applies to, or who can help to spread the word. Every time you forward the information, please ask the people you are contacting to forward it on to people they know. Send sms’s, emails and make phone calls. There isn’t much time left before the 27th June!
“The June 27 Presidential election is not an election, but a declaration of war against the people of Zimbabwe by the ruling party.” (SA Congress of Trade Unions statement 24/6/2008)
This is an important call to all Zimbabweans from civil society – you must boycott the forthcoming election.
Do Not Vote in the June 27 Presidential run-off election
Robert Mugabe wants as many votes as he can get so that he can claim he is the “people’s president”. While it is clear that he will receive some votes and he has already secured the postal votes of the armed forces who were forced to vote for him, Mugabe will want to get substantially more votes than those cast for MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai on March 29.
We must not let this happen. The best action that we can all take to demonstrate that we refuse to accept Mugabe as our president for yet another five terrible years is to refuse to vote on Friday.
If you are forced by government agents to vote, then make sure you spoil your paper. Do not vote the dictator back into power.
However, please understand that we are not asking you to do anything that you think might endanger your safety or your life. In dangerous circumstances you must do whatever you need to do to keep yourself safe.
The only people who should vote on Friday are those who have by-elections in their wards and will therefore be asked to vote twice. They should vote for the candidate of their choice for the House of Assembly seat but should hand in a spoilt ballot for the Presidential poll.
The three wards where by-elections are being held are:
1. Bulawayo: Pelendaba/Mpopoma
2. Matabeleland South: Gwanda South
3. Midlands: Redcliff
The claim that the election cannot be cancelled
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) states that the Presidential run-off election on June 27 cannot be called off despite the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai in the face of escalating violence, intimidation and the disruption of his campaign .
The ZEC cites Section 107 of Zimbabwe’s Electoral Act which states that a nominated candidate may withdraw his candidature any time “before twenty-one days from the day …. on which the poll in an election to the office of President is to be taken”.
In other words, according to this interpretation of the electoral law, if Morgan Tsvangirai withdraws his name less than three weeks before the run-off – even if the conditions have made it impossible to continue with his campaign – the election still has to go ahead.
This claim is countered by Tsvangirai and his legal team
In a letter sent to the chairman of the ZEC, Justice Chiweshe, on June 23, Tsvangirai notes that Section 107 of the Electoral Act deals with the withdrawal of candidature from a Presidential election. He points out that the 21-day requirement refers to a Presidential election and not to a run-off. He says it would not make sense to expect a candidate from a presidential run-off election to give 21 days notice of his/her withdrawal where such election has to be held within 21 days.
He continues: “Section 107(3) makes it much clearer that Section 107 does not apply to a presidential run-off election. It provides that:-
‘where a candidate for election as President has withdrawn his/her candidature in terms of this section, the sum deposited by or on his behalf in terms of subsection (1) of Section 105 shall be forfeited and form part of the funds of the commission’.
Tsvangirai notes that no money was ever deposited for the Presidential run-off election in terms of Section 105 by any candidate. “Furthermore, there have been no rules prescribed for the conduct of a presidential run-off election and in particular the notice period set for the withdrawal of candidature by a participant. Accordingly, any candidate wishing to withdraw his candidature is free to do so at any time before such an election.”
A low poll for Mugabe will undermine his claims of legitimacy
Should the ZEC insist on disputing the interpretation of Tsvangirai’s legal team, there is a further issue that needs to be addressed. A Zimbabwean legal expert notes that the provision contained in Section 107 must be read together with the requirement that a Presidential candidate needs to obtain at least 50 percent of the vote. The intention behind the provision, he writes, is that it is necessary for a President to have substantial support from the people of Zimbabwe. The legislation therefore discourages Presidential candidates being elected by default or with only minority support from the electorate.
He notes that, if Mugabe gets fewer votes on June 27 than Tsvangirai received on March 29, then Mugabe will still in theory be elected President, but his claims to legitimacy will be greatly undermined.
And if very few people turn out to vote and Mugabe gets elected by a tiny minority, it will demonstrate that he has no legitimacy as the country’s President.
This is good news for all of the displaced people in Zimbabwe who have been concerned that they are not able to vote. And it is good news for the millions of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who wanted to come home to support their families and communities by voting for change.
Boycott by urban voters crucial
One of the biggest challenges we face is that Zanu PF will no doubt try to exaggerate the numbers of people who have turned out to vote in remote rural polling stations where there are no election observers.
To counter this problem, people in the urban areas must do all within their power to make sure that the polling stations are absolutely deserted. They must turn Friday’s election into a referendum against Mugabe’s misrule. If anyone is forced to go and vote, please make sure you spoil your ballot paper.
Why Tsvangirai withdrew from the run-off
The MDC won the March 29 elections, in spite of all the challenges they faced: the March 11 beatings, the continuous attacks on organisations like the National Constitutional Assembly, election rigging, the banning of rallies early on, vote buying, the withholding of food aid and all of the other Zanu PF strategies. It was a victory for peace, democratic change and the rebuilding of our country. The Mugabe regime was furious and since then has declared war on the people of Zimbabwe.
A free and fair election was not possible then and is totally impossible now. There are numerous reasons, but these are the main ones:
1. State-sponsored violence: The police are intimidated and have failed to protect the people of Zimbabwe. Under the direction of the Joint Operations Command, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), Zanu PF youths and the youth militia are waging a terror campaign.
2. MDC Presidential candidate’s campaign: Rallies have been banned and the MDC President has been arrested on an ongoing basis.
3. Decimation of MDC Structures: There has been a deliberate campaign to destroy the leadership and structures of the MDC. Secretary General Tendai Biti and MP Advocate Matinenga are illegally detained and over 2 000 MDC supporters, including polling agents, are in illegal detention.
4. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is partisan: The ZEC is now staffed by “war veterans” and Zanu PF militia. It is not in charge of the management of this election.
5. The media: The media is under attack and there has been a total blackout of the MDC’s campaign. Journalists are being harassed and foreign journalists have been banned from entering the country.
6. The Zanu PF Presidential candidate: Robert Mugabe has no respect for the MDC, for election observers or for the regional and international community. He has declared war by saying that the bullet has replaced the ballot. Chiwenga and Zimondi have stated they will not respect an MDC victory.
7. Planned election rigging by Zanu PF: An elaborate and decisive plan by Zanu PF to rig the election has been exposed.
Why Mugabe and Zanu PF want to continue with the election and retain power
First of all, the Mugabe regime wants the world to believe that everything in Zimbabwe is normal and that the elections are legitimate. Secondly, if they lose power, they will lose the vast sums of money that they have stolen from the country over the years – money that has made them immensely rich and the citizens of Zimbabwe desperately poor. Their greed has wrecked the entire economy of our once stable and prosperous country. Thirdly, when the change comes, they are afraid they will be tried for their crimes, notably for crimes against humanity.
Why we can now count on the support of the world
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) have all supported Tsvangirai’s call to withdraw from the election.
- Zambian President Dr Levy Mwanawasa, who is also SADC chairman, said: “The current political situation in Zimbabwe falls far short of the SADC principles.” He said that the June 27 presidential run-off election should be postponed to avert a catastrophe in southern Africa.
- Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos urged Mugabe to “embrace a spirit of tolerance and respect for democratic norms”, while at the same time appealing for an end to all acts of intimidation and violence.
- Graca Machel, Joaquim Chissano, Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu are among forty former African presidents, prime ministers, civil society heads and other high profile leaders who have called for an end to political violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe.
- Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said: “I think this is an embarrassment to Africa because it makes a sham of presidential elections… the time has come for the international community to act on Zimbabwe.”
- The United Nations Security Council: On 24 June, the UN Security Council issued a statement condemning the campaign of violence against the political opposition which had resulted in the killing of scores of opposition activists and other Zimbabweans, and the beating and displacement of thousands of people, including many women and children. Their statement gave legitimacy to the March 29 poll and noted that the results must be respected. It also condemned the government’s suspension of the operations of humanitarian organisations, noting this had directly affected one and a half million people, including half a million children. Not only was the statement adopted unanimously, but the Zimbabwean crisis will remain on the Security Council agenda.
- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters after a meeting with the 15-nation Security Council on Monday that he “strongly discouraged” the Zimbabwean government from pressing ahead with a run-off election this week.
- I would like to take this moment to say how distressed I am by the events leading up to the understandable decision of …. Morgan Tsvangirai to withdraw from the run-off scheduled for this Friday,” he said. “There has been too much violence and too much intimidation, a vote held under these conditions would lack all legitimacy.”
- The powerful South African Congress of Trade Unions (COSATU) has called on “the South African government, SADC governments, African governments and the world not to recognise Mugabe’s illegal government all over the world and to refuse to have any dealings with Mugabe other than ensuring that he work towards new elections strictly under the conditions of total observance of the SADC protocols. Furthermore, planned actions by COSATU include mobilising for a blockade – a powerful reminder that Zimbabwe needs the co-operation of neighbours like South Africa to survive.
It is clear that the world has the deepest respect for the courage of Zimbabweans in the face of disgraceful violence and repression. Pressure is mounting from the African continent and from the international community. The United Nations Security Council is fully briefed on the crisis and is in possession of documents that are damning to the Mugabe regime. There is now no place for them to hide.
We call upon the people of Zimbabwe to make yet another brave stand and to ensure that the world hears their silent but powerful protest:
DO NOT GO TO VOTE ON FRIDAY JUNE 27
[for full text on Morgan Tsvangirai's letter, The UN Security Council statement, and the ANC statement on Zimbabwe, please email documents [at] sokwanele.com where you will receive an automated email with these texts.]
June 25th, 2008 00:42
I fully appreciate this call asking people not to vote but the Zimbabwe situation is different in that the militia have been “ordained” to seek out the very people who will stand up and be counted.This would be a very BIG ASK for the ordinary person who stands to be killed and lose his home.The ordinary person has no protection whatsoever and any show of defiance might mean sure death.
I dont know if any ordinary Zimbabwean wants any more loss of life. The president means what he says when he says you cant fight a bullet with a pen, that icludes any form of opposition -like not voting.
Lets pray for God,s wisdom. I dont know the right thing to do but I dont want another innocent person dying for what they believe is right.
June 25th, 2008 09:50
I’m sorry if I missed something, but I’m not sure of the point of boycotting the election or spoiling your vote if it is forced to go ahead. If it does go ahead then some people will vote for Tsvangirai – if it was free and fair then the majority would vote for him!
I can understand people staying away because of intimidation and because of the danger, but if it is better to go vote because you are being forced, then surely voting for Tsvangirai is better than spoiling your ballot?
June 25th, 2008 10:20
Mojo, we hope that we have made it clear to people that they must do whatever is necessary to keep themselves safe. The dangers vary from area to area.
Chris refusing to vote is a refusal to participate in an farcical poll. Low turnout and limited numbers of people queuing to vote will show how unwanted he is with all the violence. But it is dangerous and we are telling people o be careful.
June 25th, 2008 11:49
FLIP-FLOP ………………………. Tsvangirai calls for ‘military force’ in Zimbabwe ABC, Australia Posted 2 hours 9 minutes ago
Zimbabwean Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has called for world leaders to back their tough rhetoric with military force in his country in a comment piece published today.
Mr Tsvangirai wrote in The Guardian newspaper that the United Nations had to go further than verbal condemnation of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and move on to “active isolation” which required “a force to protect the people”. “We do not want armed conflict, but the people of Zimbabwe need the words of indignation from global leaders to be backed by the moral rectitude of military force,” he wrote.
MORGAN IS ALWAYS RIGHT AND NOW HE SEEKS A MILITARY INTERVENTION …OH HOW STUPID DO YOU FEEL NOW…
June 25th, 2008 12:20
Kubatana reports today that people are being given numbers and ordered to vote, and threatened with more deaths and beatings if they do not.
I think this call to boycott will cost more lives. Surely, it is enough to know and to continue to inform the world that ANY vote for Mugabe lacks legitimacy.
How can a vote count when it is forced?
I’m surprised at MDC calling for this. I thought they withdrew from the election to save lives.
June 25th, 2008 13:01
In general I support the boycott.
Surely mugabe is going to make sure he gets more votes than tsvangirai the first time round…he will do what is necessary..it will be rigged…what is the point of going to the polling station and voting. The MDC have pulled out. Kubatana’s report is what was/is going to happen anyway…that is why the MDC pulled out…so personally if i stay an area of low/no intimidation I would stay at home..if youth milita come knocking on my door and forcing me to vote I would obey them and vote zpf to be honest..but overall Mugabe needs legitimcay..so if you can avoid being intimidated and worse then don’t vote.
Mugabe will not let the real results out anyway..even if MT were to amazingly get more than 50%…mugabe won’t let this happen. This is not March 29th conditions…”this is war” as he said recently.
June 25th, 2008 13:34
@ Hope
All roads to political power are the same…history does not lie.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/25/zimbabwe.civilliberties
In openly calling for military intervention Tsvangirai has signed the death warrant of the MDC…by opening the door for a Security crack down unseen to date in Zimbabwe…
It would have been.better that the censorship rule was lifted on certain discussions in here….Better ways than this open megaphone grandstanding were available…but when it was time to listen …certain people shut off their commonsense and only wanted to hear their own rhetoric.
There are no real good guys or bad guys in politics… just those who have power and those that want power..As I and a few others have been saying for months. the ordinary people need protection… from the politicians.
It was better to get to the heart of the matter for the sake of saving lives rather than carry out the time wasting pretence of living the utopian dream that the MDC leader himself has no real belief in.
Peaceful non violence against that clutch of psychopaths ??? It was always a ploy using the beaten bodies of Zimbabweans for little more than a sympathy vote…In the end MORGAN the perfect leader of many has come full circle in political terms…As much as you may disagree this issue was never going to have a happy ending…the only real work in a political power struggle is to lessen the damage to come.
As they say when elephants fight its always the grass that suffers.
June 25th, 2008 14:02
The title of that article is “Send in the UN peacekeepers now”. Not quite the same thing as military intervention. Those who equate the two tend, in my experience, to have a solipsistic wordview and the only thing you get from debating with someone like that is a bloody headache.
June 25th, 2008 14:11
Possible reasons for not voting:
- war veterans confiscated my ID card so I can’t vote
- I’m visiting my sick mother in…. and this is not my ward for voting. I will vote when I go home later
- I am bringing food to my family and this is not my ward for voting. I will vote when I go home this afternoon
- my name is not on the voter’s roll
- I’m a Malawian/……… I am not allowed to vote.
or if someone can get hold of ‘the ink’… share it round, then we can all say we’ve voted already.
city people go to rural area for the day and rural people hide in the bush or go to city areas – all displaced so unable to vote
June 25th, 2008 14:12
Morgan is calling for peaceful intervention, peace-keepers to protect the people. He is not calling for violence!
June 25th, 2008 14:36
When I watched the video on the weekend of the Zanu-PF militant youths chasing after MDC supporters at the rally in Harare, like wild hunters after animal prey, I knew that this time the Mugabe regime had gone too far.
Essentially, there are now only two ways out of this disgraceful impasse short of armed conflict between the two opposing sides. One is to wait for an outside force of protection to come into the country to ensure that a new and legitimate presidential run-off is conducted in every corner of the country in an orderly an peaceful way, and stays there to ensure a smooth transition, and in which the army and the police forces cooperate.
Or, acknowledge the fact that the political reality is such that the clique of top officials and uniformed junta which is propping up Mugabe as a figurehead, are the ones most afraid of losing their positions and freedom. Therefore, unpleasant as it may seem to a democratic movement, find a way to agree to cooperate with these people and persuade them that their positions will be safe if they can agree to an orderly handover of power to Tsvangirai. The advantage of this strategy is that, considering the hold his close colleagues now have over him, they only need to coerce him, rather than having to persuade or plead with him to go.
I now favour the second option because, as anon rightly points out ‘there are no good guys or bad guys in politics…’ and, considering that the aforementioned clique have no real idea of how to manage the country, they would be more than happy just to feel safe, with careers and pensions intact etc., and to let better professionals get the country moving again. That is my sincere belief, and I am sure the world would seet it that way too. If you remember, this very same strategy was used on Milosovich when he lost his election but refused to go, and it worked.
June 25th, 2008 15:13
This is the BEN MANASHE and March 25 DOCUMENT incidents all over again…Ambiguity is the fatal flaw. There are certain safety protocols one should take within a volatile situation…
The full headline actually reads…”Send in the UN peacekeepers now: My people are at breaking point. World leaders’ bold rhetoric must be backed with military force”…
The bottomline is the ‘bold rhetoric’ spoken of..is.that the Zanu / military regime is illegitimate and must go in favour of a new political dispensation.
At present Zanu / MILITARY JUNTA are killing people based upon a paranoid justification that foreign powers seek to take over Zimbabwe …
To publicly mention ‘peace-keepers’ is fine many of us were calling for this ages ago as voices in the wilderness…
However to mention ‘military force’ in the same sentence and in the same article is a red rag to a bull. The OUTSIDE WORLD may see sense most wish the Junta gone…Will the killers on the ground make those same polite distinctions…between the MDC leader calling for ‘peace keepers / military intervention’ and the much spoken of foreign invasion??? The danger of the piece highlghted by the back peddling regarding the authenticity of the text.
June 25th, 2008 15:24
I see your point Jim, well taken.And to anon, I don’t think Morgan is calling for violence, what he said was
” ‘we need a force to protect the people.’_______’Such a force would be in the role of peacekeepers, not trouble-makers. They would separate the people from their oppressors and cast the protective shield around the democratic process for which Zimbabwe yearns.”
He also said that there would have to be a new election and new election monitors. There would have to be thousands and a new electoral commission I think.
June 25th, 2008 15:40
I know this isn’t in relation to the boycott – but I just came across this website and thought it well worth a mention:
http://worldtv.com/free_zimbabwe
June 25th, 2008 16:05
@anon
if MT were a true politician he would be carrying on, with total disregard for his people..letting them get slaughtered, for a slice of the power. But, and I am amazed, he has forfeited his ‘potential’ win on Friday for the sake of the people getting destroyed. Not that this has stopped the violence I would add.
On military intervention, he means peacekeepers (in fact he says peacekeepers!) which are soldiers (i.e. military)..they are in army uniform and carry guns…
June 25th, 2008 16:32
This unofficial election this friday is gfoing to be very interesting.
The MDC voters are not likley to turn up…why should they and again how is zanu pf going to determine those who have stayed away from voting are actually their supporters or MDC’s. It is in the best interests to stay away.
Mugabe could get a huge fright if people stay away…he will get a guage on Friday of how popular or unpopular he is, even with a MDC stay away.
I say Mugabe allow the election to take place…if there is a signioficantly low turnout that is a clear indication of how unpopular you are.
There will still be those who will vote for MDC who do turn up to vote.
June 25th, 2008 16:50
A ‘peace-keeper’ is an armed deterrent…Tsvangirais call is for men with guns to protect defenceless people… (advocated by some long ago)
Very noble from Morgan but as stated I and others have advocated against the tide in here for months….that such deterrence was needed…when others said it wasnt necessary.
Those ‘peace keepers’ will have rules of engagement…and If the elections come and go and under their protection Zanu/ Military junta is replaced by MDC…what then as Zanu / junta stated its war should they lose.
Its about realism now folks..the more we delay seeing that tough calls are coming and its no easy ride..the worse it will get…:-(
June 25th, 2008 19:43
anon: You haven’t advocated for peacekeepers (nor for peace-keepers or peace keepers). You’ve used the word for the first time today. I find it quite puzzling that this is so given you have accused sok of unfairly ‘censoring’ you and in light of your claims that you do not flout our moderation policies. Why would you argue for peacekeeping, but not once use the term itself?
June 25th, 2008 21:38
@ Sokwanele
Neither have I used the terms..war…violence..attack /…yet your admin still projects those sentiments onto my posts. I can reference them for you but lets concentrate on what matters shall we.
Either way I have for months used the terms
‘intervention’ and ‘deterence’ where the end result is the same..whether used by people such as myself or militaries of outside nations…
Innocent people are protected and the bad guys get stopped …
Lets be fair…the many times we have disagreed regarding the advocacy and use of what you term as ‘violence’ without any real proof that I am for violence is wasted time when a more amicable working situation could have been reached…
I am grateful that I can post my email here so there are no bad feelings we all want the same end.
In the end we are staring a potential Rwanda in the face…There are people who would provide money and resources for an ‘peaceful non violent intervention service’ (a term we have all suggested) From this issue is about saving lives and bringing positive change, I can only say the ball is in your court how much focus you choose to place …either concentrate on the important stuff or the unimportant petty school yard tit for tat.
r.evolution@hotmail.co.uk
June 27th, 2008 17:08
I was born and raised in the Belgian Congo, the child of American missionaries. I wish to express my support for the people of Zimbabwe in this terrible time. You will win, because you have the people and the truth on your side. Mr. Mugabe is acting in a Kabuki play, in which the audience already knows the outcome. Like all dictators who hide behind force and brutality but lack the popular will, he will fail. I suspect he even realizes it. Fight for your rights, fight for your country, fight for your children. Spoil your ballots, hide for the day, vote if you are forced, but know that the world is finally watching and they do not want another Rwanda on their conscience. The dictator Mugabe’s days are numbered, and those numbers are very low.