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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2018 17:27:16 GMT
After Chamisa seemingly boasted about his support from G40 affiliates in the police and intelligence services the MDC Alliance has now turned down an alliance offer from the Mugabe affiliated faction of NPF for fear of alienating their own base and provoking the hardliners in ZANU-PF too much. NPF may also have overplayed their hand as they reportedly demanded 73 constituencies - and the MDC Alliance giving up more than a third of the constituencies - or even something close to that - would have been completely unrealistic (the small parties have already given up half their guaranteed seats and can't be pressured more).
Meanwhile Chamisa has warned Mnangagwa that he should "rein in" VP Constantino Chiwenga saying the former commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces have become a threat to the holding of free and fair elections. Chiwenga has urged Mnangagwa to "facilitate the completion of Operation Restore Legacy". More or less directly saying the elections are a direct continuation of the military coup and part of the securocrats' takeover of the country.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2018 18:38:24 GMT
Indian-Zimbabwean businessman and former retail magnate Raji Modi seems to be buying his way to win opposition stronghold Bulawayo South for ZANU-PF. The white MDC co-founder Eddie Cross (78) stepped aside this time after representing the constituency for ten years, but two MDC candidates have filed for the nomination and while they are trying to sort out this mess Modi is renovating a thousand flats, paying for free health consultations, renovating sports clubs, organizing cricket and football tournaments etc. A bit sad if Eddie Cross' constituency goes to ZANU-PF in this pivotal election, but Modi has very deep pockets and it's a poor constituency. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2018 20:37:42 GMT
Just to give you an impression of how populist Chamisa is he says he has a sports development programme in place that will make Zimbabwe a shining example in sports and see them hosting both the Olympics and the World Cup. He claims to have the funding arranged with Russian oligarchs.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 8:56:28 GMT
The candidates for both parliament and president will be registered on 14 June, which means there will be a lot of frantic last minute alliance building within the opposition in the coming two weeks. The candidates that have registered, including independents, are allowed to rescind their decision within seven days of the Nomination Court sitting so the MDC Alliance have been busy trying to get all the double registrations sorted out - mainly MDC-T registrering candidates in constituencies served for the minor parties and losing candidates registrering as independents. So we should soon know more about who are actually running for the opposition. Hopefully they have managed to reduce the number of seats with two or multiple MDC Alliance candidates, they already have the Khupe faction as splitters in a little over half the constituencies. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 9:28:34 GMT
True to form ZANU-PF have been quite heavy handed in reigning in primary losers and removed winners trying to run as independents. One high profile candidate, a former political commissar in Harare, has been charged with "political violence" he committed back in 2014 against Mujuru supporters to get him to back down. Others have been evicted from their properties.
General Chiwenga has threatened to confiscate the renegade party members' property and jail them for land theft after the election (as nearly everyone with some standing in ZANU-PF has been involved in land grabs that isn't hard to do), if they don't withdraw. Saying that the Land Audit Committee will investigate cases of property disputes and "the scourge of land barons" and "appropriate action" will be taken once the committee produces its report.
Mnangagwa and Chiwenga are involved in a bizarre good cop/bad cop act where Mnangagwa tries to project an accommodating attitude and emphasize how fair the elections are going to be, while Chiwenga threatens everyone that stands in their way and implies the election is merely the final step in the regime change and only a result that confirms this can be accepted.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 10:51:47 GMT
Nelson Chamisa claims the government plans to kill him, and is perhaps taking his evangelical nuttery a step too far.
"I hear they have set up teams that are following me but they won’t succeed in their mission because I have an angelic ark that is around me, so these earthly attempts will fail even if they want to kill me"
Starting to wonder how much of the nonsense Chamisa spews he actually believes in. He is a man with five university degrees (although a couple of them a bit dubious) and said to be highly intelligent, yet he still presents one fantastical idea after another and dabbles in paranoid claptrap and superstition. On top of that he sees Rwandan strongman Paul Kagame as an inspiration due to his country's impressive growth rates and alleged "localized democracy". I still want the MDC to win (even if that would require some negotiated settlement with parts of the security apparatus) because breaking the stranglehold of "The Party" is a necessity for any progress, but Chamisa could become quite authoritarian and unpredictable in power - and he is only 40 so once in office he could rule for a long time. With the more ideological elements of the MDC-T gone to Khupe there will be little internal opposition and he is free to mold the party in whatever direction he wants.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 16:24:25 GMT
NPF (the faction under Ambrose Mutinhiri) is running in 95 of 210 National Assembly constituencies and has nominated 20 senatorial candidates for the 60 PR seats, and none for the women's seats.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2018 16:25:30 GMT
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has survived an apparent bomb attack at a rally in the city of Bulawayo. Mr Mnangagwa said an object "exploded a few inches away from me - but it is not my time".
www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44586218
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2018 17:35:34 GMT
The three most popular theories are:
- It was a ZANU-PF trick so they can deploy soldiers to intimidate voters or postpone the elections (the fact that the VP's wife Mary Chiwenga is among the injured speaks against this).
- G40 did it.
- Ndebele separatists are behind it/revenge by families of Gukurahundi victims.
It is of course significant that it happened in Bulawayo - but that could also be a decoy to get the third option into play.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2018 17:41:11 GMT
From ZBC:
"Vice President Kembo Mohadi was injured on the leg and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, with the spouse of the Vice President Retired General Constantino Chiwenga, Mrs Mary Chiwenga also injured.
The Zanu PF National Chairperson Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri is also said to have been injured but we could not confirm the extent of the injury. Zanu PF National Political Commissar Cde Engelbert rugeje was also injured.
Three of the ZBC crew members who were on duty were also injured and have been taken to Mpilo Hospital for treatment. It is still not yet clear how many people could have been injured as a result of the explosion. "
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2018 18:11:14 GMT
The wounds of all the injured seem to be fairly superficial (at least the prominent ones), which will help sustain the theory that ZANU-PF arranged it themselves.
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Post by tiberius on Jun 28, 2018 12:59:53 GMT
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The Bishop
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Post by The Bishop on Jun 28, 2018 13:46:19 GMT
Reported now that two actually died in this explosion, a bit different from initial accounts.
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Post by robert1 on Jul 25, 2018 14:50:02 GMT
Currently in Zimbabwe as a Commonwealth Observer. Wide range of expertise from across the Commonwealth. For obvious reasons I can’t give any indication of my thoughts at this stage. Will be travelling away from Harare for the final days of the election campaign and beyond.
Sadly I can’t open Vintris’ forum.
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CatholicLeft
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Post by CatholicLeft on Jul 25, 2018 18:09:08 GMT
Currently in Zimbabwe as a Commonwealth Observer. Wide range of expertise from across the Commonwealth. For obvious reasons I can’t give any indication of my thoughts at this stage. Will be travelling away from Harare for the final days of the election campaign and beyond. Sadly I can’t open Vintris’ forum. How interesting; I look forward to reading your reflections on the campaign, process and result. |
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Post by robert1 on Jul 25, 2018 20:06:25 GMT
Thank you.
It is interesting but partly because this is the first time I have participated in such a group. I will be party/contributor to the overall Commonwealth Observers’ Group report. How much I am allowed to say as an independent individual, and when, I am not sure.
There are observers from numerous organisations here. I just hope we don’t fall over each other in the final days. The quantity of outsiders means that the election has certainly been good for the tourism industry in what would normally be the down season. After the UK, it is cold here!! I should have been prepared. I lived here for 3 years, as a student, many centuries ago.
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john07
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Post by john07 on Jul 25, 2018 22:36:23 GMT
Currently in Zimbabwe as a Commonwealth Observer. Wide range of expertise from across the Commonwealth. For obvious reasons I can’t give any indication of my thoughts at this stage. Will be travelling away from Harare for the final days of the election campaign and beyond. Sadly I can’t open Vintris’ forum. I can’t either. It appears to be a dead link. |
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Jul 29, 2018 11:17:08 GMT
Mugabe appears to have (by implication) endorsed the MDC - told reporters "I will not vote for those who have illegally taken power", and praises Nelson Chamisa as "He seems to be doing well at his rallies."
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Post by finsobruce on Jul 29, 2018 11:23:53 GMT
Mugabe appears to have (by implication) endorsed the MDC - told reporters "I will not vote for those who have illegally taken power", and praises Nelson Chamisa as "He seems to be doing well at his rallies." Things you thought you'd never see, Part 756. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2018 11:25:06 GMT
Mugabe appears to have (by implication) endorsed the MDC - told reporters "I will not vote for those who have illegally taken power", and praises Nelson Chamisa as "He seems to be doing well at his rallies." Things you thought you'd never see, Part 756. One of the accusations made by the regime against Chamisa was that he was conspiring with Grace Mugabe! |
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