The ManicaPost
The ruling revolutionary party Zanu-PF is scheduled to hold its primary polls this Sunday, April 29. In a first of its kind in the party, most of the constituencies are being heavily contested, a development attesting commitment to promotion of internal party democracy under the new leadership of President and First Secretary, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa.
it is a reality that in the past, selection of some candidates in Zanu-PF was not done through outcomes from proper party primaries, but through hook and crook – the principle of nepotism and master-servant relationship, among other factors.
Candidates vying for a political position found it easier when they were the ‘sons or daughters’ of a party godfather. Credibility and popularity were secondary considerations to the favouritism prioritised and championed by some unprincipled leaders.
Continued tussling for political positions exposed the diminishing internal democracy within the party and consequently, the chances of the electorate getting the best man or woman for the job were shattered.
Thus, the party was weakened by various degrees of internal conflicts and squabbles with the implication that the internal structure was often mired in endless fights. This translates to the fact that Zanu-PF, which was expected to promote the tenets of democracy, had fallen short of ensuring that such a goal is achieved.
Bickering within the party produced two end results: Proper co-ordination of the party in relation to campaigning and other factors could not be achieved; also some members of the party became disillusioned and expressed their discontent through defecting to opposition parties.
Cumulatively, these resulted in factionalisation within the party, distrust among party members, candidates standing as independents and proliferation of political parties in the country. But the new rules of the rebranded Zanu-PF and wishes of its leader, President Mnangagwa, desire to ensure that selection of the right candidates for the 2018 harmonised elections is not subjected to the whims and caprices of few ambitious leaders within the party.
Party Primaries have been succinctly defined by Nigerian scholar, Aluoma as “the initial electoral contest amongst candidates for the purpose of winning the nominations of their parties for the general contest”.
The importance of party primaries is that they serve as a litmus test for political parties and are also expected to ensure that the elements of democracy are observed. Therefore, the selection of competent candidates is most importantly and firstly done through the organisation of primary elections before the general elections.
This is vital as it serves the purpose of nominating the right candidates for political office, thus making it relevant in ensuring that internal democracy of the party is properly upheld.
This is because, not only does it create room for opportunities to viable party members, but also weakens the influence of political godfathers within the party, which will consequently aid democratisation of the party. In turn, internal democracy will help in ensuring most of the party activities are in order.
As Zanu-PF heads for primaries, processes of candidate selection have been made as open as possible. This is necessary to ensure the candidates selected are chosen based on their merits, rather than godfather-support, bribery or corruption. By repeatedly stating that there should be no candidate imposition, President Mnangagwa is merely entrenching internal democracy, which was slowly but surely disappearing in his party.
We cannot therefore overemphasise the fact that survival, effectiveness and vibrancy of a political party is largely anchored on its internal process of primaries and candidate selection process. Certainly, by using internally democratic procedures Zanu-PF is likely to select more capable and appealing candidates.
