Zimbabwe adopted the British First Past the Post Electoral system in 1985. This was undoubtedly past of the love-hate relationship that ZANU PF has with our former colonizers. We are sometimes like teenagers always rebelling against our parents, swearing at them, cursing them. At the same time we remain slaves of our colonizers, always aping the way they do things, including their electoral system. The 1980 electoral system was more like the present South African electoral system, where the electorate voted for candidates selected by political parties.
The British system is known as the First Past the Post system. The South African system, which is the more widespread system in modern times, although it is expressed in many varied ways, is known as Proportional representation. The two systems are often combined, for example with 70% of the seats through the First Past the Post system, and 30% through the Proportional representation system.
There are obviously advantages and disadvantages to each system, and it is appropriate for Zimbabweans to choose the most suitable system for our situation. The First Past the Post system which has been in place in Zimbabwe since the 1985 Elections, has the advantage of simplicity: whether you win by 30 votes, 300 votes, 3000 votes, or 30 000 votes, you are the winner. This has led to what is sometimes called “corruption”, where a losing candidate will appeal to the local army battalion to come to the polls, and tip the balance. This has been a well known ZANU PF strategy for almost every election.
Another disadvantage has been the manipulation and violence which have characterised intra-party primary elections, with accusations that winning candidates got in through patronage from the big shots or chefs, rather than through popular votes. Primary elections have caused serious divisions in every party. Bribery of the electorate, bussing in of voters, and other such moves are common.
Primary elections have also brought about more tribalism, as candidates appealed to local tribal loyalties, making it difficult if not impossible for the best candidate to win.
It is noticeable that the number of women candidates has decreased considerably since 1980. This is because women candidates may not be ruthless enough to win the primary elections within their own party, given the level of patronage in place.
One disadvantage of Proportional representation is that the party has a greater say in the choice of the candidate, although the system of candidate selection within each party may bring in different degrees of democracy. An advantage is that a party may ensure greater gender representation than the present primary elections system. A party may also be able to ensure that its candidates provide a greater variety of skills and experience.
At this point in time it is important for every Zimbabwean to consider what electoral system is put in place under the new Constitution. Are we about to repeat the mistakes of the past, in particular slavish imitation of our former colonial masters? MKD supports a vigorous debate on what combination of First Past the Post and Proportional Representation would serve Zimbabwe best.
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