Zimbabwe is mulling legislation that will introduce compulsory registration of political parties amid fears that the current administration wants to turn the country into a one-party state.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has proposed a law for the registration of political parties to “bring sanity to the country’s politics.”
ZEC’s move, plus sentiments by Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi that “structureless parties” were engaging in endless squabbles and recalls of parliamentarians, have raised concerns that the Zanu PF government is looking to be a referee and player in the same match, since it will determine who can form a political party.
While acknowledging that other African countries have similar law, Veritas, a group that monitors law making in the country, said in Zimbabwe it brings fears that the authorities will use it to further close the democratic space.
“Registration of political parties will bring some certainty to our political landscape, but if registration is made compulsory, there is a very real danger it will be used to stifle opposition, unless there are strong safeguards to ensure that the registration process is impartial and consistent with a multiparty democracy,” Veritas said.
“If registration is voluntary, on the other hand, the benefits will almost certainly far outweigh any disadvantages.”
The new development adds to suspicions that the ruling party could go on to amend the constitution.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 82, is serving his last term in office and has recently indicated he won’t stay longer. But his loyalists are pushing for the scrapping of presidential term limits to make him remain.
A long-time lieutenant of Zimbabwe’s former leader Robert Mugabe, Mnangagwa rose to power in a 2017 coup and now he is often accused of becoming increasingly autocratic because of a sustained crackdown against his critics.
Several opposition leaders and civil society activists have been jailed in recent years for dissent.
Critics accuse him of using lawfare to decimate the opposition, with several court judgments being used to shut down the country’s biggest opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
After his controverted re-election last year in polls dismissed by African observers as not meeting regional standards, his government was blamed for the mass recall of elected opposition representatives by an “imposter.”
Lloyd Damba, spokesperson of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said ZEC’s intentions were suspicious.
“In other countries within Africa, we have similar laws that require the registration of political parties, in particular Kenya,” Mr Damba said. “They have their reasons for that, and I do not see anything wrong with that particular move. It becomes sinister when a body that is not mandated by any law to advocate for the registration of political parties starts doing that when its duties are clearly stipulated in the constitution. They want politics to be a game of the rich, in particular those that are looting mineral resources and tenderpreneurs.”
On the eve of the August 2023 elections, Zimbabwe’s courts controversially barred exiled former ruling party commissar and minister Saviour Kasukuwere from challenging President Mnangagwa on the grounds that he had lived out of the country for too long.
The move was cited by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer mission as one of the major developments that eroded the credibility of the polls.
ZEC approved 11 candidates to run for president, but most of them were largely dismissed as proxies of the ruling party, being used to legitimise the polls.
Nelson Chamisa of CCC, who was the president’s strongest challenger, was barred from holding rallies ahead of the elections. Mr Chamisa was forced to abandon his party a few months after the elections, citing interference by the ruling party.
The Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI), a local think tank, said Zanu PF has always used its incumbency to control the opposition and seek legitimacy.
“The ruling party often provides life support to these opposition parties, strategically keeping them as a smokescreen or titular career opposition parties to retain power,” ZDI said.
“Zanu PF has maintained its dominance through institutional control, political manoeuvring and co-option of opposition parties. By ensuring the cooperation of select opposition parties, incumbents can secure legislative majorities, bolster their credibility and neutralise potential threats to their role. This façade of legitimacy helps the ruling elite maintain their grip on power while giving the illusion of a functioning democracy.”
Veritas said the apprehension around the registration of political parties was justified given the polarisation in Zimbabwe.
“If the registration process is not administered by a completely impartial body, it will be perceived as, and may actually be, a barrier designed to inhibit formation of opposition parties and to restrict their activities,” Veritas added.
“In Zimbabwe, a voluntary system of registration would be preferable to a compulsory system in view of Section 67 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to form political parties and also in view of the country’s intensely polarised politics.”
According to ZEC, in 2022 there were more than 120 political parties participating in the elections. In Zimbabwe political parties tend to sprout around election time and go dormant in between polls.
The country’s next major elections will be held in 2028, when President Mnangagwa’s current term expires and there is already talk of power struggles in Zanu PF around his succession.
One of his deputies, retired general Constantino Chiwenga who led the coup against the late r Mugabe, is touted as his most likely successor.
