Zimpapers Logo

Fungi Kwaramba Political Editor

UNITED States President Joe Biden has described election poll results deniers in the mould of opposition CCC leader Mr Nelson Chamisa as threats to democracy because their hard-line positions often fan unrest, violence and instability.

Analysts yesterday said as much as Mr Biden’s statement is conceited, it also exposes people like Mr Chamisa who only accept election results if they win.

In a statement on Wednesday ahead of his country’s midterm elections slated for Tuesday next week, Mr Biden raised concern over the preponderance of persons who have a history of rejecting poll results that do not favour them.

“As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America — for Governor, for Congress, for Attorney General, for Secretary of State who won’t commit to accepting the results of the elections they’re in,” Biden said. “That is the path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful. And it is unAmerican.”

Mr Biden’s stinging rebuke on violence mongers smugly fits the Zimbabwean context where the opposition CCC, (formerly known as MDC), has since 2000 rejected poll outcomes unless they are in its favour.

In the last general elections in 2018, Mr Chamisa rejected the poll results even before they were officially announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the constitutionally mandated body that runs elections in the country — triggering an orgy of violence by his supporters.

Following the same script, albeit in the US, supporters of former US President Donald Trump, incited by their leader, rejected the poll results early last year after he had lost to Mr Biden and in almost similar fashion, went on a rampage as they, like Mr Chamisa’s supporters, sought to overturn the democratic outcome.

In 2018, at Mr Chamisa’s instigation, private property was destroyed, people lost their lives as he, in his unbridled pursuit of power, tried to subvert the people’s will and impose a Western structured Government on Zimbabwe.

Similarly, on January 6, 2021, following then US President Donald Trump’s defeat in the November 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

They sought to keep Mr Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes to formalise the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

Investigations revealed that the attack was a culmination of a seven-part plan by Mr Trump to overturn the election.

Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes. Many people were injured, including 138 police officers.

Likewise, in Zimbabwe, Mr Chamisa, without providing a shred of evidence, but publicly proclaiming to have such, approached the courts to reverse the poll outcome, but the Constitutional Court upheld the results.

Still, doggedly Mr Chamisa plodded on with his feeble claims that the elections had been rigged through a web of conspiracies, deceit and falsehoods that were parcelled to the Western world which swallowed it hook, line and sinker.

Ironically, in his speech on Wednesday, Mr Biden described such tendencies by persons like Mr Chamisa and Mr Trump as percolators of violence and unrest.

“This intimidation, this violence against Democrats, Republicans and non-partisan officials just doing their jobs, is the consequence of lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over to generate a cycle of anger, hate, vitriol and even violence,” he said. “In this moment, we have to confront those lies with the truth, the very future of our nation depends on it.”

Political analysts canvassed by The Herald said Mr Biden should preach the same message to his “lackeys masquerading as opposition parties in Zimbabwe”.

“US President Joe Biden took a stand against political violence and implored Americans to reject election-denying candidates. He argued that rejecting elections, denying candidates and shunning political violence were critical ingredients for democracy,” said political scientist Mr Alex Munyonga.

He added that it is of interest that Mr Biden raises such critical issues in defining and protecting democracy but falls short in calling his “puppets” to order because the “very Trumpism cancer that Biden was wrestling with in America existed and exists in Zimbabwe yet when it is Zimbabwe, America sides with the election results rejecting candidates”.

“Does democracy then change meaning depending on space and time? America and its allies were hostile towards Zimbabwe accusing the leadership of vote stealing yet when it is in America, against the Biden administration, it is those who reject poll outcomes who are criticised, this is so ironic”.

Dr Hamadziripi Dube weighed in, describing Mr Biden’s statement as reeking with irony since the yardstick used to measure democracy in the US seems to be different to that it seeks to unilaterally impose on sovereign nations like Zimbabwe.

“Mr Biden is a full-time non-principled and unpredictable leader who doesn’t respect Zimbabwe and its people. He is now at the forefront of describing those who deny poll results as threats to democracy.”

In that regard, Dr Dube said Zimbabwe has to move on and disregard the inherent biases of the Western world and “stand firm on the ground of rule of law and constitutionalism”.

“Zimbabwe has its own borders which we always ask outsiders to respect and leave Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans. As he Biden now describes the behaviour (of election deniers) as a threat to democracy, we expect them not to intervene with the political business in Zimbabwe up to the polling processes. Biden is the right person to teach Chamisa not to be a threat to democracy as they always reject results that do not go their way.”

Other analysts said Mr Biden’s statement brings the spotlight on Mr Chamisa who has made menacing threats that pose a threat to Zimbabwe’s budding democracy.

“In Zimbabwe the opposition has mastered the game of refusing anything good done by the Second Republic. However, Zimbabweans are now aware of these repeated tricks. Zanu PF has a majority both in Parliament and in councils, that alone confirms the popularity of the party despite denials by Western governments. We already know the script of denial by the West of the 2023 general elections results which Zanu PF is expected to win resoundingly,” said Mr Gadzira Chirumanzu.

Already pressure is mounting on Harare to shut the door on some Western countries who, like their local pawns, are already smearing next year’s harmonised elections even before the process begins.