Zimbabwe: 1995 General Elections

Extracted from: "Zimbabwe" IN Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa (2002), edited by Tom Lodge, Denis Kadima and David Pottie, EISA, 443-445.

The general elections held on 8-9 April 1995, in Robin Reginald Farquharson's striking phrase, had 'a deceptive air of reality about them' of the type that might have confused casual observers into a belief that a real test of the popular will was in progress. Of the 150 seats in the legislature, 55 ZANU-PF [Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front] seats were not contested. The party could, moreover, count on another 30 seats since the President appoints 12 non-constituency members and the political predisposition of the eight provincial governors and ten chiefs elected by local chiefs but beholden to the government were all predictable. In effect, then 85 seats were already not in contention but, rather, in the gift of ZANU-PF even before the election started. The ruling party was the only one eligible for state funding and the elections themselves attracted a poll of only 57%. Finally, ZANU-PF could rely upon the plurality single member district electoral system to obscure still further any decline in voter popularity.

The elections involved the participation of 161 candidates representing seven parties who were competing, however, for only 65 seats. Of these ZANU-PF (led by Robert Mugabe), fielded 65; ZANU-Ndonga (Sithole), fielded 30, and the Forum Party of Zimbabwe (Dumbutshena) fielded 28. Three minor parties fielded a candidate each, and 30 independents stood, six of which were ZANU-PF rebels.

The elections were boycotted by a number of opposition groups including ZUM [Zimbabwe Unity Movement] and the United Parties, that announced their decision just a day before they should have made their nominations. They objected to an unfair electoral regulatory framework.

The provisions of the Political Parties Finance Act of 1992 meant that state funding was to be made available only for those parties that had 15% or more electoral support. This effectively resulted in an annual disbursement of Z$32 million to ZANU-PF. ZANU-PF's dominance of much of the media also gave it a major advantage.

The simple-majority electoral system in single member constituencies also did not help an even more divided and under-resourced opposition. The parties competing against ZANU-PF indeed called in their campaigns for a proportional representative system of voting; limiting the length any president could serve to two terms; and eliminating or reducing the number of parliamentary members the president could appoint directly or indirectly.

ZANU-PF acquired some 1 140 000 (81.63%) of the votes securing 118 of the 120 elective seats (55 of which were uncontested; see 1995 House of Assembly results for details). It was also to control the 30 nominated and reserved seats. Another 20 seats are nominated by the president and ten by traditional leaders. This then gave ZANU-PF 148 of the 150 seats - a short-lived advance of one more than it achieved in 1990.

ZANU-Ndonga, which fielded 30 candidates, drew nearly half its 93 546 (6.7%) of votes from its Ndau-based ethnic constituencies in the Eastern Districts. It acquired two seats for its party leader Ndabaningi Sithole in Chipinge South and for Fred Sithole in Chipenge North. The other main opposition party, the Forum Party of Zimbabwe led by former Chief Justice Enoch Dumbutshena acquired 88 223 (6.32%) of the vote failing to win any seat. Its leader received 28% of the vote in Harare Central losing by 6 000 votes to Florence Chitauro of ZANU PF. Thirty independent candidates collectively acquired 74 732 (5.35%) of the votes but failed to win a single seat. Women acquired 22 of the 150 seats (14.67%).

ZANU-PF, in its campaign, committed itself to accelerating land redistribution, economic reforms, and indigenous economic empowerment. The opposition parties promised to change the constitution, expedite reforms, ameliorate hardship and unemployment, promote investment, and reduce corporate and general tax.

The Forum Party of Zimbabwe made constitutional reform one of the pillars of its campaign but its mode of presentation was not always easily accessible or else unique and strongly identifiable. In the economic domain it favoured privatisation, structural adjustment policies, job creation, foreign investment, and land resettlement. It was also hampered by limited resources.

The elections were held against a background in which the economy was showing signs of recovery from the 1992-1993 recession, but where inflation was continuing to rise and average standards of living were continuing to decline. Unemployment was estimated to be 40%. While the ZANU-PF primary elections preceding the election had largely predetermined the trajectory of those who would be destined for parliament, the party's politburo had resolved to exempt vice-presidents Simon Muzenda and Joshua Nkomo from these.

In August 1995 the results of the election in the Harare South constituency were successfully challenged in the high court by Margaret Dongo a former guerrilla fighter and ZANU-PF MP turned critic and now an independent candidate. She had earlier been denied re-nomination by the ZANU-PF politburo after denouncing official corruption. Her challenge was on the bases that more votes had been cast than there were registered voters. She had lost to the ZANU-PF candidate, Vivian Mwashita. At the consequent special election held on 28 November 1995, Margaret Dongo won.

The Electoral Supervisory Commission, in its 1995 parliamentary report, recommended that the financing system for parties be reviewed and that a media code of ethics be prepared. It also urged that a better programme of civic education be developed.

The new cabinet saw the inclusion of two women and the doubling to four of former PF-ZAPU members. Within parliament itself women were, however, to constitute only 22 (14.67%) of the total of MPs.

On 31 October 1995 local elections resulted in some 15 independent and dissident ZANU-PF members winning representation on local councils. In November 1995, in Mayoral election in Mutare and a parliamentary by-election in Harare South, candidates opposed to ZANU-PF won significant victories. Improper state handling of nominations led the High Court to nullify the results of the October 1995 Harare and Bulawayo elections for mayor.

In October 1995, Ndabaningi Sithole was arrested and charged with conspiracy to assassinate Robert Mugabe in association with the Chimwenjes, a group of mainly Zimbabwean dissidents based in Mozambique. Bail was granted on 20 October.