By Takura Zhangazha*
It is now a universally accepted norm and preference that
all countries hold regular elections as legitimating mechanisms for the acquisition
or transfer of political power. Even in
countries that are generally not considered democratic.
At their onset and as motivated by the United Nations, elections and electoral processes have been
considered democratically meaningful.
But not necessarily revolutionary.
Though in some cases, such as those when African liberation movements
won inaugural pre-independence elections, they may have been considered
so. Or if we go to the global north and
recall the election of the United States of America’s (USA) first black
president in 2008.
But we also know that apartheid South Africa and closer to
home, Southern Rhodesia also held elections.
On the latter Masipula Sithole wrote a very interesting analysis on what
he referred to as ‘intra-white settler democracy’ wherein in the settler state there was the regularity of elections for the white minority. And how these
were also regularly recognized by the ‘global international community’.
In our contemporary times however elections have begun to
take on a new meaning. Mainly because there are now international standards
expected of how they are conducted, including their regularity. But more significantly because of the fact
that they are now viewed, in most cases, as representing a ‘winner takes all’ approach to political
power. As well as to a direct control of
state capital as it relates to a global neo-liberal economy.
Because of the latter point, which I am sure a number of
academics are avidly working on expanding, elections and electoral processes
while requiring minimal democratic standards are no longer as of traditional
democratic old.
Their periodic occurrence, which remains an important and democratically
good thing, has come to mean so much more than their mere occurrence. Vested interests on either side of the global capital divide are avidly competing for what they would consider to be the 'peoples' will' and the more significant attendant exploitation of national wealth that is perennially at stake.
All characterized by disputes over final electoral results. Wherein the majority of cases disputes on results are about who has won the post of the seeming 'winner takes all' executive
presidency. As opposed to who has won
anything else such as the legislative or local government vote counts. The key challenge and desire is attaining or
retaining ultimate executive political power. And its all fair enough but we
would have to look at a few recent examples to expand my argumentation
further.
In the USA, the incumbent president, Donald Trump, went down
to the wire in disputing the results of the November 2020 presidential
plebiscite. Including being accused of
being directly involved in a siege of that nations parliamentary buildings in Washington
DC in early January 2021. A development
that has led to unprecedented impeachment proceedings on a sitting USA
president by the American Congress. Despite
this, it is still reported that Trump intends to give the presidency another go
in 2024.
The second example is that of the even more recent Ugandan
elections in which long serving ruler Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner against
a younger Bobi Wine. The latter is
vehemently refuting the results and has been reported in the media as seeking
to challenge the validity of the results in court.
The third and final example is that of the Tanzanian presidential
elections where again the incumbent John Magufuli was declared an overwhelming victor
over his strongest rival Tundu Lissu.
The latter has since gone into exile.
In these examples cited above, there are certain common characteristics
that come into vogue. The first being that
there are arguments about urban versus rural votes. Or in the case of the USA, the conservative
hinterland versus the liberal coast cities.
There is also the case of arguing about the youth vote and
how again it relates largely to the rural/urban dichotomy. Including the same’s populist trends,
intentions and ephemerality. Amid
allegations fo rigging, the youth vote has become the holy grail of contemporary
electoral politics. Based on population
demographics and assumptions that images of relatively mature people running
for office can never sit well with the same population demographic. A point that remains as arguable as it is
based on the emotive but privately owned social media company platforms’ clicks, likes via their algorithms.
Thirdly, there is the argumentation around methodology and
technicalities of voting. This is always
a long running ‘reform’ argument that seeks to make more transparent how votes
are counted, tallied and relayed to some electoral center or the other. From postal ballots induced by Covid19 in the
USA or polling station tallies in remote areas of Uganda or Tanzania, the trend
is clear about the technicalities as they eventually arrive to be argued at one
electoral court or the other. And in
most cases with the same courts deciding against the challenger.
But we still have to ask the question about what it is that
is making elections, electoral processes and their results such highly contested
occurrences in the now. At the risk of sounding
over philosophical, I would argue that it is the retention of a consciousness that
is pre-occupied by the reality and possibility of the passage of time. In order to live to fight another day and
ensure that same struggle is retained in the consciousness of those that would
be quasi-cultist supporters of an electoral candidate. Ones' who
remember more the past than they would envision a better future for all. On either side of existent political
divides. A pre-disposition that I personally
refer to as ‘main-actoring’.
We need to ask ourselves the key question of what we advise political
leaders at the emotional heights of claiming electoral victories. Its not too
complicated. They need to think beyond themselves and their egos. Both in victory or in contested defeat. But expanding on this is for another write
up.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity
(takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment