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"One political party dominates our lives"
IRIN News
June 24, 2008

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=78918

Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has formally withdrawn from the 27 June presidential run-off election, citing the level of political violence unleashed by the former ruling ZANU-PF party as making a free and fair poll impossible.

While regional and international leaders scrambled to find a solution to the political impasse, which could involve a transitional government of national unity, IRIN spoke to people on the streets of the capital, Harare, on whether they would turn out to vote on Friday in an election with incumbent Robert Mugabe effectively the sole candidate.

"I will vote in order to get the red indelible ink on my forefinger to avoid harassment by the youths [ZANU-PF militia], who have been going about threatening those who don't vote. When they come I will show them my finger and hope they will leave me alone," said Sinikiwe Chogugudza, in the working-class suburb of Budiriro. She added that her friends had "promised to do the same to save their skins".

Temba Zikali, a truck driver, said he was not prepared to vote. "If they force us like they [ZANU-PF youths] promised to, I will spoil the ballot paper by deliberately extending the X outside the box and see what they will do."

Housewife Rosaline Chikafu struck the sole note of support for Mugabe, who scored 43 percent in the first round of voting in March, losing to Tsvangirai, who got 48 percent.

"I will go and vote even when Tsvangirai has pulled out," she said. "We need to show the British and the Americans that we are Zimbabweans who do not accept their meddling. President Mugabe said the whites are gone for good, so why should I not vote for empowerment?"

The conventional wisdom is that Mugabe is holding out to win the 27 June election, despite international condemnation of the political conditions in the run-up to the poll, to then negotiate from strength over a future government of national unity that would include the MDC.

Unity government?
IRIN asked Zimbabweans for their views on the scenario of a transitional power-sharing deal as a path out of the political crisis.

Third-year University of Zimbabwe mechanical engineering student Lewis Madongo said: "There is no guarantee that a government of national unity will work. Even if it is for two years, we are not assured that after that period ZANU-PF will not use the same tactics it has used to deny opponents a victory.

"Moreover, it sets a bad precedent for the future practice of democracy, where winners of an election are threatened and told their victory is of no consequence."

Witness Chinyama, chief economist of a leading bank, was more upbeat. "It is the best possible solution available in terms of the economy ... A government of national unity brings together protagonists and will help de-politicise all national institutions that have been constrained by political polarisation."

The main concern of pharmacist Gwen Chirasasa was the political violence. "I really don't know whether a government of national unity will change things for the better, but I think it is an alternative to the violence that we are witnessing in the suburbs.

"If it is able to guarantee people a life without fear, a life that has a future and a life where everybody enjoys the freedom to go about their daily lives without being harassed, then it's better than what we are witnessing, because one political party dominates our lives," she commented. "I am not sure whether it will solve the economic problems we have."

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