Staff Reporter
The ZANU PF has been commended for implementing democratic processes in its selection of candidates ahead of the party’s congress which is set to be held at the end of this year.
This follows the Women's League Provincial Conference held in Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Bulawayo Metropolitan among other provinces over the weekend, where they endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the Party’s sole candidate for next year’s harmonised general elections.
Speaking in an interview with Harare Post today, a political analyst from the University of Zimbabwe who spoke on condition of anonymity commended ZANU PF for being the epitome of democracy. He praised the party for embracing and practising internal democracy, which he said opposition political parties were failing to do as they sought to protect some of their senior members’ interests.
"One can attest that democracy is at play in ZANU PF. This is the reason why we appreciate its leadership. I do not know why some political parties fail to emulate the democratic practices from the ruling party. Honestly, a party cannot survive on impositions, it is bound to die a natural death.
"People need to be consulted first. They are the water and politicians are the fish. It is best to make consultations with them first before you arrive at any decision. This is what we call servant leadership," he said.
A youthful member of the opposition party CCC applauded ZANU PF party on the ZANU PF youth conference early this month.
"ZANU PF is indeed a democratic party. The leaders in ZANU PF respect the processes of the Party’s Youth League, they do not interfere with their leadership selection. The ZANU PF youth conference was a clear indication that ZANU PF practises democracy. In the CCC party, things are different. Up to now we have no structures to talk about, it seems the party only belongs to Nelson Chamisa. If Chamisa continues to behave this way, soon there will be no party to talk about, people are defecting because of his authoritarian rule," she said.
Lately, Chamisa has been castigated for imposing decisions on his people. He changed the party’s name and colours without even consulting the members and ruled out an opportunity for that party to hold an electoral congress before the 2023 harmonised general elections.
Another political commentator, Revai Kavhai said that contrary to the opposition’s narrative that ZANU PF leadership was dictatorial, it was the Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) which was proving to be anti-democratic.
“Just look at the way Chamisa is leading the CCC. He and his team claim to be champions of democracy but he took over the MDC Alliance undemocratically in February 2018 following the death of that party’s founding leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. Fast forward to 24 January this year. On forming the CCC, he suspended all leadership structures of the party except for his own position.
"He has made himself the sole signatory of the papers of the party’s candidates for local government or national elections. He has proved to be an enemy of democracy as he seeks to consolidate his stranglehold on power and elbow out any contenders to the CCC top post. That’s why he is stifling the holding of an elective congress in line with the tenets of internal democracy,” he said.
