For the first time since 2002, Zimbabwe will this year hold harmonised national elections which will not have the faces of Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai on the presidential ballot paper.
By Vusumuzi Sifile
Mugabe had enjoyed the “privilege” of appearing on the ballot since February 1980 when he represented Zanu in the general elections that formed the first independent government in April of the same year.
He went on to appear on the presidential ballot paper in 1990, 1996, 2002, 2008 and 2013.
In all instances, he was declared the winner of the presidential election, although in some cases — like in 2008 where he lost the first round to Tsvangirai — this was widely disputed.
He was poised to represent Zanu PF again this year, but that changed in dramatic fashion in November when Zanu PF recalled him as president and first secretary.
For close to two decades, Tsvangirai had established himself as the face of opposition politics in Zimbabwe.
He appeared on the presidential ballot on three occasions — in 2002, 2008 and 2013.
On all occasions, he gave Mugabe and Zanu PF a good run, although the results were largely disputed.
Tsvangirai was earmarked to represent the MDC Alliance, but he succumbed to cancer of the colon in February 2018.
Nelson Chamisa has since been endorsed as the MDC Alliance presidential candidate.
While the absence of Mugabe and Tsvangirai from the ballot signifies a major change, the campaign issues and the internal party dynamics have generally remained the same.
Sadly, the public debate has focused mostly on the political protagonists, and not much on the issues that different parties or candidates are advancing.
This has been the trend in a number of Southern African countries, where real issues are pushed to the periphery, and political players get all the attention.
As Zimbabwe gears for elections within the next few months — most likely in July — the media carries a huge responsibility of unpacking various aspects of the electoral process, and enabling citizens to make informed decisions.
Elections are an important process for establishing or strengthening the growth of democracy, as they are the springboard upon which the credibility, legitimacy and strength of any democracy is established.
When elections are not credible, the resultant systems and structures also lose their credibility.
Elections are undoubtedly the most popular, most effective and most credible means through which citizens can give or withdraw power.
The media is one of the conduits through, which the credibility of the electoral process can be achieved or lost.
The media should not treat elections as a power contest between different parties and their candidates.
The media needs to amplify the character of elections as an opportunity and a platform for citizens to exercise their constitutional power to decide who holds local government, legislative and executive authority.
In any democracy, elections are a key process for strengthening citizens’ participation, and building the credibility of governance systems.
However, citizens can only participate to the extent to which they are informed.
The media needs to create an environment where people know what is at stake, the value of their contribution, and the consequences their actions.
Media practitioners must not view themselves as spectators in the electoral process, but as active participants who hold a powerful stake.
The media — be it community, mainstream or online — provide the conduit through, which different actors in the electoral process interface with each other.
The media provides a platform through, which citizens can ask questions, raise concerns or make suggestions on aspects an election.
The media also provides a platform through, which electoral actors such as political parties, candidates and the electoral management body can share information with voters.
However, if the media is not well versed in the issues, they can easily mislead or misinform the electorate. This has the potential of discrediting an election.
There is need to strengthen the capacity of the media to become platforms for informed debate.
This capacity building has to be two pronged: technical capacity on one end, and content development and dissemination capacity on the other.
The media needs to employ the right technics to generate, package and disseminate content in a manner that will not only influence debate or engagement, but will also inspire citizens — the voters — to take the requisite actions such as registering to vote, inspecting the voters’ roll and taking the step to vote on polling day.
This will be a challenge, especially for the public or state-controlled media, which tend to conduct themselves as ruling party annexes.
A general trend that has become a key feature for most elections in Southern Africa is the polarisation of the media sector.
It has become so common, to an extent that it is almost acceptable, for different media actors to take sides and endorse some political actors.
That is not a problem. What is problematic is when a particular media entity deliberate omits or misrepresents some information in pursuit of partisan interests. That is one of the main causes of anarchy.
Elections provide the springboard upon which as citizens we can demand accountability from those we elect into decision making positions.
It is, therefore, important, as the campaigns build up, for citizens to make their expectations clear, and influence candidates to speak to those issues.
And after the elections, it is again the citizens responsibility, and right, to demand that those elected into any office deliver according to their promises.
For this to happen, the media needs to provide the space for citizens to share their views and shape the national debate.
We are now so used to politicians bombarding citizens with all sorts of promises. Millions of jobs. Airports. Trains of varying shapes and speed capacity. You name them.
It has become trendy for politicians to make these promises. What has been lacking, is for the media to question these promises, look at their practicability and relevance.
When the media raises such issues, citizens have a strong basis to demand the fulfilment of each of the promises.
The process should not end with any politician being elected on the basis of a promise.
Throughout the electoral process — the media must serve as a platform for consistent flow of accurate, timely and relevant information that will enable citizens and other actors to play their part in the electoral process.
Citizens need the right information to know whether they can vote, what they need to do, where to vote, when to vote, and who to vote for.
The electoral management bodies need timely information to enable them to address any irregularities.
Parties and candidates need timely and accurate information to guide their interaction with different stakeholders.
One misleading news story can set a whole community or country in flames.
The media, therefore, has a huge responsibility to ensure that all information they disseminate around the electoral process is verified by credible sources.
Regardless of how juicy or tempting some information may appear to be, media practitioners need to stick to the basics, and make sure that they don’t arouse any flames.
Vusumuzi Sifile is a Zimbabwean journalist currently working as knowledge management and communications manager for Panos Institute Southern Africa in Lusaka, Zambia.
