HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) 鈥 Munyaradzi Mushawatu, an electrician in Zimbabwe鈥檚 capital, Harare, was both ecstatic and jittery after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced recently that national elections would be held on Aug. 23.
鈥淚 have voted in every election since 1990. I can鈥檛 wait to make my voice heard. I am ready,鈥 said Mushawatu. But the bravado turned to chagrin as he recalled how the country鈥檚 鈥渟kewed鈥 elections environment has remained intact for decades.
鈥淚t鈥檚 only the election date that is new. The usual old obstacles remain,鈥 said the 56鈥搚ear-old father of three.
Allegations of fraud, violence and harassment of opposition members have characterized elections held in Zimbabwe since independence from white minority rule in 1980.
The 2018 elections were the first following a coup that replaced Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's longtime autocratic ruler, with Mnangagwa, amid promises of reform.
But after a close-run contest, the Constitutional Court dismissed opposition leader Nelson Chamisa鈥檚 claims of vote-rigging.
Mnangagwa, an 80-year-old former enforcer and ally of Mugabe, is again expected to face a strong challenge from the 45-year-old Chamisa. The election will also decide the composition of the 350-seat parliament and close to 2,000 local council positions.
For many Zimbabweans, hope offered by the Aug. 23 elections is eclipsed by a realization that although Mnangagwa has tried to present himself as a reformer, prevailing conditions suggest that he is even more repressive than the man he helped remove from power.
The opposition and some human rights groups say the playing field has been tilted in the ruling party鈥檚 favor. They cite oppressive laws, arrests and detentions of opposition figures, bans of meetings, alleged violence, biased state media coverage and alleged voters鈥 roll irregularities 鈥 just as in previous elections.
In the spotlight is a bill recently passed by parliament but which must still be signed by the president in order to become law. The legislation calls for harsh punishments of up to 20 years in jail for 鈥渦npatriotic acts鈥 such as attending a meeting with foreign agents where issues such as sanctions or the overthrow of the government are discussed.
The government defends the bill as necessary to protect 鈥渘ational interests.鈥
Many are skeptical.
Since Mugabe鈥檚 time, Zimbabwe鈥檚 ruling party has used sanctions imposed by the United States two decades ago over human rights violations as election campaign fodder 鈥 often accusing the opposition of conspiring with the U.S to keep the measures in place.
The bill has had 鈥渁 chilling effect of silencing鈥 dissent, said Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, or ZLHR, an NGO.
Provisions such as penalizing people 鈥渇or merely attending a meeting where sanctions are considered鈥 are 鈥渧ague, lack certainty, are imprecise, and are thus prone to abuse by law enforcement,鈥 said ZLHR.
Criticizing the president or the ruling ZANU-PF party already appears to be hazardous locally. ZLHR says it is providing free legal representation to dozens of people arrested or detained for 鈥渋nsulting鈥 the president or for tweeting, singing or marching.
Another recurring bone of contention is the voters鈥 roll, which Chamisa described as 鈥渁 perennial challenge.鈥 Alleged irregularities include missing names of registered voters.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has repeatedly dismissed allegations of colluding with the ruling party, and recently said voters鈥 roll irregularities would be resolved by Election Day.
Despite the odds, Chamisa says he sees a real chance. 鈥淪ome say, are you to boycott the elections? We will not boycott 鈥 2023 is a big moment, an opportunity for Zimbabweans to realize change,鈥 he told reporters last week. It鈥檚 the first real test for his party, the Citizens Coalition for Change, which he formed in January last year, making a break from the country鈥檚 longtime opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change.
Zimbabwean political commentator Alexander Rusero says Chamisa hopes that a strong showing in August will strengthen the new party鈥檚 credentials.
鈥淭he opposition genuinely believe they are being frog-marched into an election they are sure to lose,鈥 said Rusero. 鈥淏ut remember it is a new political outfit. Elections will secure Chamisa鈥檚 party the legitimacy of being the most formidable opposition and get a seat at the table in case of any post-election political settlement,鈥 he said.
Tensions are rising in the Southern African nation of 15 million people as the economy implodes under the weight of a debilitating currency crisis, sharp price rises, crippling electricity shortages, unemployment, corruption allegations and collapsing public health infrastructure.
The ruling party blames U.S sanctions and also accuses businesspeople of conniving to increase prices and ignite anger ahead of elections.
Mnangagwa and the government also deny allegations of violence and intimidation by ruling party activists and security forces and are promising a credible election.
鈥淣othing must be spared to ensure the environment is right and conducive for free, fair and peaceful elections in which the right to vote is available to all those eligible,鈥 Mnangagwa wrote in his weekly column in the state-controlled Sunday Mail newspaper.
But some, like Mushawatu, the electrician, are not too sure.
鈥淚 will vote, but I am not convinced that we are in a new era,鈥 he said.
