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Ranga Mataire Group Political Editor
ALL over the world, political parties are never sustained by intermittent ephemeral issues that occur in the cycle of an election season.
History has shown that enduring ideological policies are the major ingredients in tilting the vote in way or the other.
It is thus the height of political naiveté for anyone, especially opposition political parties, to pin their hopes on the current exchange rate volatility as a trump-card for marshalling them to State House.
Studies have shown the electorate has a tendency to vote in blocs of preference to a certain political party that they believe has their interests regardless of intermittent economic challenges.
In other words, no large chunk of the electorate (capable of swaying the vote) is likely to shift political allegiance in an election season because of transitory occurrences.
This is not to say that the electorate is a dormant. Yes, some can make last minute decision but this is just common among a clique of fence sitters, who are not ardent followers of any political party.
This clique of fence-sitters has no capacity of fundamentally swaying the vote in a particular direction.
If ephemeral issues were critical in swaying the vote, then Zanu PF, which has been a dominant player in Zimbabwe’s politics would have long lost power.
What sustains political parties all over the world is the ability to organise, capacitate and mobilise voters to appreciate and understand the party’s broader policy offerings that directly impact peoples’ lives.
Beyond the occasional economic turbulences, some of which are clearly induced and timed during the election seasons, political parties ensure longevity by building loyalty through hierarchical structures that are the products of a binding constitution.
Since independence, Zanu PF has faced an array of threats to its political hegemony but has been able to fend off these challenges by adapting to changing circumstances. Although founded on socialist principles as a liberation movement, the revolutionary party has been flexible enough to come up with its own brand of home-grown pro-poor and pro-majority ideological policies.
This adaptability has ensured that the party remain relevant and continue to attract new members.
A constitution and recognisable structures are the main bedrock for the survival of any political organisation because they ensure discipline and create brand loyalty.
Membership understands the hierarchical order of things and develop an affinity to a political organisation as stakeholders.
Unlike other political parties, Zanu PF has a history and a tradition of galvanising its base for particular causes. That organisational acumen becomes more pronounced and heightened during periods like an election season.
Unlike other political parties that are yet to announce their representatives in the upcoming harmonised elections, Zanu PF started preparing for elections well before President Mnangagwa announced 23 August as the voting day.
First, the party held its own congress from which emerged its main candidate, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was endorsed by all the country’s provinces.
Emerging from the congress, the party moved on to rejuvenate is support base by undertaking cell audits meant to account membership at the smallest structural unit. The cell audit was critical in giving a concrete picture of the party’s grassroots members and rectify areas needing immediate remedial action.
After the cell audit, the party invited members to submit CVs for the purposes of holding primary elections.
The process was rigorous and transparent and successful aspiring candidates were given an opportunity to participate in primary elections.
The primary elections gave an idea to the ruling party of the actual registered members.
It also rejuvenated its support base as a generational mix of candidates emerged as winners. Its organisational capacity and strength was put to test but the party emerged stronger and very clear about its representatives in both the parliamentary and local government elections.
Given the rigorous nature of the primary elections, the party managed to come up with the most popular candidates. Quality leaders are essential for any organisation’s success and this applies equally to political parties.
The democratic nature within which the primary elections were held ensured only leaders who can inspire, motivate and communicate effectively with followers emerged as victors.
It must therefore not surprise anyone if Zanu PF is to emerge as the biggest winner in the coming elections given how it has invested in ensuring that its members are registered and that its representatives are the ultimate favourite among voters.
Zanu PF has remained a dominant party for over four decades despite numerous challenges, including economic downturns and economic sanctions because of a string support base especially among rural communities were the greatest numbers of voters reside.
History also favours Zanu PF in that it is still viewed by the majority of voters as a liberation movement that fought against colonialism and minority rule. It is the party that brought independence.
So far, we have not witnessed any visible voter mobilisation by opposition political parties.
It appears, most of their leaders are much preoccupied with feeding negative narrative to their foreign benefactors instead of being with the electorate.
In the case of the opposition CCC, their supporters are still in the dark as the party is still to announce its aspiring candidates.
The party failed to undertake primary elections and it appears the process of electing candidates is at the whim of the CCC leader, Nelson Chamisa, who is said to be vetting each candidate.
The whole process is so opaque and is said to have created a lot of anxiety and disillusionment among supporters.
Unity and cohesion are major deficiencies in the opposition. They appear to be all stampeding each other to impress their foreign financial backers.
Senior members like Tendai Biti are derogatorily referring to each other as “vanhu vasina mabvi” and snakes. There is also apparent lack of trust in opposition leaders among Zimbabwe due to past electoral failures.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter