Tag Archives: voting

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Zimbabwe’s voting day, and something Michelle Obama said

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It’s hard to describe the conflicted feelings that must sit in the being of every Zimbabwean faced with the decision of whether or not to go to vote tomorrow, especially if they have the courage to even consider voting for the opposition.

“Why?” you might ask peering in from the outside. “Things don’t look so smooth there. How long have these chaps been in charge?”

“Over 40 years.”

“40 years!!!”

Looks obvious, seems obvious … but when wall-to-wall propaganda smothers any perceived cracks in its narrative, things get difficult. And they are difficult. Yet, amazingly, the political arena still holds, and the opposition candidates keep coming, upright despite being surrounded by the debris from previous elections. They are brave and persistent, and they have their plan, despite the odds.

I have no idea how this election will turn out, but I so hope Zimbabweans will be able to cast their votes in peace, and that they will want to do so. Taking part is not just for them but for their children, and their children’s children, and for the right to say they did their bit.

Back to Michelle Obama – we were scrolling through Netflix the other night, and came across ‘Becoming’ which follows the book tour she did after her years as First Lady. Her charisma is so evident, as is the personal effort she dedicated to her life on show in the White House. At the end of the documentary, in a car heading somewhere, she says:

“After all that work, they just couldn’t be bothered to vote at all. That’s my trauma.”

Michelle Obama

Thinking of you, Zimbabwe.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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Zimbabwe has an election coming up

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My thanks to the United Nations Publication Board for permission to use this map of Zimbabwe, Map No. 4210 Rev.2, December 2017, UNITED NATIONS
(My thanks to the United Nations Publication Board for permission to use this map of Zimbabwe, Map No. 4210 Rev.2, December 2017, UNITED NATIONS)

Zimbabwe has an election coming up, so I thought I’d put together a few points about the country’s recent politics. (If you’re interested in the early history of the area, you might find this Britannica link useful.)

  1. The country became Zimbabwe in 1980.
  2. It is a presidential republic.
  3. Robert Gabriel Mugabe, ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front) was the country’s first president, and ruled for 37 years.
  4. There was a ‘soft coup’ in 2017 which removed the 93-year-old Robert Mugabe from power.
  5. He was replaced by Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa – also ZANU-PF.
  6. On the 23 August 2023 Zimbabwe will go to the polls again.
  7. The 80-year-old Emmerson Mnangagwa is standing as the presidential candidate for ZANU-PF.
  8. ZANU-PF has now ruled the country for over four decades.
  9. The main opposition is the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led by 45-year-old Nelson Chamisa.
  10. Since 2000, elections in Zimbabwe have seen bitter contests between ZANU-PF and its main opposition (formerly known as the Movement for Democratic Change – MDC – led by Morgan Tsvangirai).
  11. Today there are allegations that the fairness of the upcoming elections has been damaged by systems that favour ZANU-PF and make it difficult for the opposition to hold rallies, or publicly challenge the government.

I hope we’ll get to see what really happens there in a month’s time.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023