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This article participates on the following special index pages:
New Constitution-making process - Index of articles
"Miracle Votes" - An analysis of the March 2013 Referendum
Election
Resource Centre
March 26, 2013
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Introduction
and Background
On the 16th
of March 2013, Zimbabweans went to the polls to either endorse or
reject a draft
constitution which had been a product of a protracted process
that is as almost old as the inclusive government. When the Global
Political Agreement was consummated in 2009, the players to
the GPA agreed on a raft of measures and signposts that would facilitate
the creation of enabling conditions for the holding of free and
fair elections in Zimbabwe.
Hence Zimbabweans
undertook the constitutional
making process partly to fulfill the provisions of the GPA and
to afford Zimbabweans the opportunity to contribute towards the
making of democratic indigenous constitution. It was also envisaged
that a new constitution would provide Zimbabweans with an opportunity
to transcend the past of violence, authoritarianism, impunity and
arbitrary rule.
Resultantly one of the
major benchmarks in the GPA, as guaranteed by the Southern Africa
Development Community (SADC), was the successful completion of the
constitution making process, whose end-product would be a new constitution
for Zimbabwe.
On the 16th of March, Zimbabweans voted
overwhelmingly for the adoption of the new constitution, this
after concerted effort by all the parties in the GNU who canvassed
a yes vote. At the end of the day, 3 079 966 Zimbabweans endorsed
the draft constitution, whilst 179 489 rejected the draft and 56
627 spoilt the ballots.
A glance at the results shows that whilst there had been reports
of voter apathy, comparatively; Zimbabweans came out in their large
numbers to cast their votes. The March 16 poll recorded the biggest
voter turnout since 1980. Interestingly, there has been a marked
increase in each province for this referendum in comparison with
the March
2008 elections.
This report is an attempt
to interrogate and analyse the voter behavior that influenced the
relatively ‘high voter turnout’ in this poll. What could
have driven Zimbabweans to come out and vote in such unprecedented
large numbers, what is the comparative analysis? Could the numbers
have been tampered with? And what does this mean for the coming
crucial elections in Zimbabwe?
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