adminZvamaida Murwira Herald Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Academic Forum, made up of academics from various fields, has endorsed the just ended harmonised election as credible, saying the absence of political violence was a key determinant in assessing the polls. The forum said the involvement of the military in the just-ended election was being exaggerated, rubbishing claims by the MDC-T and some non-governmental organisations that the process was militarised.
Members of the forum were speaking during a public debate held a Quill Press club last night and chaired by University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Dr Charity Manyeruke. The comments by the forum members are consistent with that of Sadc, the African Union, Comesa and other election observers who endorsed the polls as free and fair and as representing the will of the people.
President Mugabe scored 61,09 percent of the presidential vote, trouncing his rival Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, who got only 33,94.
Zanu-PF exceeded the two-thirds majority in Parliament that is crucial for Constitutional amendments. Oxford University political science lecturer, Dr Tendi Miles said the peaceful environment in which the polls were held passed the test of credibility.
“What happened was that reforms were made, there was no violence,” he said. “(President) Mugabe preached peace, so was Tsvangirai and (MDC leader, Professor Welshman) Ncube. It passed the test of credibility.”
Dr Miles noted that Sadc was determined to ensure that a credible election was delivered in the wake of Westerners’ resentment of President Mugabe.
He said people had exaggerated the influence the military had in the election.
“We have overstated the extend to which the military has influenced elections in Zimbabwe both in 2008 and for the current election,” said Dr Miles. He castigated those who condemned utterances by the late Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Vitalis Zvinavashe who said the army would not tolerate a leader with no respect to the values of the liberation struggle.
Political analyst Mr Gabriel Chaibva said during the debate that people had failed to substantiate allegations of rigging against Zanu-PF.
Mr Chaibva said allegations of intimidation were an insult to the populace of Zimbabwe who were subjected to that treatment in 1980, but still voted for Zanu-PF which ultimately had a landslide against Rhodesian Front led by Ian Smith.
Another analyst Mr Shakespear Hamauswa was jeered from the floor after he parroted an MDC-T line that the election was rigged.
He was asked if he had empirical evidence after he claimed that about one million people were disfranchised during the elections.
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