14 March 2008 MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has more support than Robert Mugabe and Simba Makoni combined, according to a recent pre-election survey by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI). Tsvangirai was favoured 28,3 percent by respondents, compared to Mugabe’s 20,3 percent and Makoni’s 8,6 percent. The MPOI was set up in 1999 ‘to promote and strengthen democratic governance through research.’ It is run by respected political commentator and University of Zimbabwe lecturer Eldred Masunungure.
Masunungure said a lot of votes are still up for grabs since a number of respondents refused to disclose their choices. A general climate of fear cultivated by successive violent election campaigns has meant many people are reluctant to discuss the candidates they will vote for. About 23,5 percent of those surveyed said their vote was secret, 7,5 percent had nothing to say, 5,4 percent will not vote, 4,4 percent said they didn’t know. In addition 1 percent said they would vote for little known presidential candidate Langton Towungana, while the remaining 1,9 percent respondents were classed as ‘other’ in the report.
Masunungure says it is unlikely any of the candidates can get an outright majority of over 51 percent in the first round of voting. This he says means a second round of voting will be necessary to choose between the two leading candidates. He says it will also be unlikely that any of the parties contesting will secure a two-thirds majority in both the House of Assembly and Senate. Under Constitutional Amendment 18, signed by both Zanu PF and the MDC, the winner of the presidential election has to get an outright majority.
This is going to drag out....
Posts: 3153 | Location: PA | Registered: 02 August 2002
------------------------------- Will Stewart / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun. --------------------------------------- and, God Bless John Wayne.
"Here, I Join President Mugabe, and Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, in appealing for a peaceful and clean election campaign. Let this not be a contest of fists, stones, knives and guns, but one of ideas, vision and commitment. No one is worth dying for, NOT President Mugabe, NOT Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, certainly NOT Simba Makoni.
No one is worth killing for either; - again, NOT President Mugabe, NOT Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, certainly NOT Simba Makoni."
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Posts: 4168 | Location: Texas | Registered: 18 June 2001
If the elections have been postponed none of the major news agencies (AP, BBC, Reuters, etc.) are reporting that fact. All are still reporting that the election is next week.
I think this is a little tongue in cheek commentary by AR's man on the ground in Zimbabwe. Or....is he confusing St. Patrick's Day in America with April Fools Day?
Posts: 1132 | Location: Land of Lincoln | Registered: 15 June 2004
Is Makoni any relation to the first black Zim PH of the same name. I believe the PH Makoni was a king of the tribe in the Mutare area if what I was told is correct.
I think this is a little tongue in cheek commentary by AR's man on the ground in Zimbabwe. Or....is he confusing St. Patrick's Day in America with April Fools Day?
Like Ganyana said, all Makoni's are related somewhere down the line, as are all Hulmes and Ganyanas etc. But Simba Makoni is not closely related to Dzingai Makoni, who you must be referring to as Zim's first black PH. Makoni, Magara Dirapenga and Magocha (don't know his last name) were Zim's first black PH's. Makoni was Ian Piercy's (Zambezi Hunters) main man and is now deceased. Magara and Magocha are still actively hunting, and are the main men of Roger Whittall and Barrie Duckworth respectively. My brother trained under Dzingai Makoni for years, and many are the PH's in this country that owe much of what they know to one of these three guys. To name a few: Jonathan Hulme, Philip Reed, the Duckworth brothers, Joe Wright, Peter Wood, Thierry Labat, Myles McCullum, Buzz Charlton, Dirk DuPlooy, Richard Tabor, Colin van der Linden etc etc. There are many more, just can't think of them all right now.
An aside: I don't think that Simba Makoni is okay. Where was he when all the s*** hit the fan? In Bob's back pocket, that's where. Who's to say where he really is now? The only thing he is good for is splitting the vote.Interesting times.
From SAPA "Harare - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has amended electoral laws to allow policemen into polling stations later this month to "assist" illiterate people to vote, state radio said on Tuesday. The amendment, which was published as a presidential proclamation on Monday, comes less than two weeks ahead of make-or-break polls on March 29. The amendment appears to backtrack on changes agreed at recently during South African-brokered talks that restricted police from doubling up as election officers. Under the electoral laws, police were not to be allowed within 100 metres of a polling station to avoid intimidating voters. "Section 59 of the act has also been amended and will allow two electoral officers and a police officer on duty to assist semi- literate voters," the radio quoted part of the presidential proclamation as saying. Voters who are "physically incapacitated" will also be assisted to vote by two electoral officials and a policeman, the report said. The radio did not say why the laws had been changed."
Well gee I wonder why the law has been changed.
Brian
"If you can't go all out, don't go..."
Posts: 745 | Location: NE Oklahoma | Registered: 05 October 2006
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has amended electoral laws to allow policemen into polling stations later this month to "assist" illiterate people to vote, state radio said on Tuesday. The amendment, which was published as a presidential proclamation on Monday, comes less than two weeks ahead of make-or-break polls on March 29. The amendment appears to backtrack on changes agreed at recently during South African-brokered talks that restricted police from doubling up as election officers. Under the electoral laws, police were not to be allowed within 100 metres of a polling station to avoid intimidating voters. "Section 59 of the act has also been amended and will allow two electoral officers and a police officer on duty to assist semi- literate voters," the radio quoted part of the presidential proclamation as saying. Voters who are "physically incapacitated" will also be assisted to vote by two electoral officials and a policeman, the report said. The radio did not say why the laws had been changed."
An aside: I don't think that Simba Makoni is okay. Where was he when all the s*** hit the fan? In Bob's back pocket, that's where. Who's to say where he really is now? The only thing he is good for is splitting the vote.Interesting times.
By finishing #3 at the expense of Tsvangirai, thereby forcing the run-off between #1 and #2...but Bob would still need to win that count. Interesting indeed.
Posts: 3153 | Location: PA | Registered: 02 August 2002
Back in 1989 I hunted with Ian Piercy's outfit in what is now called Dande North for leopard and buffalo. I met Makoni on that hunt. Makoni was guiding a famous Hungarian who was one of the leaders of the aborted Hungarian revolution against the soviets. He was then living in Canada. Makoni invited me to eat with him and the trackers. He prefered to eat with the trackers rather than the clients and other PHs. The PH was a little chuffed at my invitation and said that they had never invited him to eat with them. I guess I was honored. The sudsa was very good! Thought someone out there might find this a little bit interesting.
I watch and wait like the rest of you and wonder where the breaking point is? How many human rights violated, lives ended and ruined, before Zimbabweans affect change? What means will become necessary? I just can't believe it has gone THIS far.
Jeff
Posts: 2857 | Location: FL | Registered: 18 September 2007
Originally posted by yukon delta: Hah. This quote is from Bill's link...
"Here, I Join President Mugabe, and Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, in appealing for a peaceful and clean election campaign. Let this not be a contest of fists, stones, knives and guns, but one of ideas, vision and commitment. No one is worth dying for, NOT President Mugabe, NOT Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, certainly NOT Simba Makoni.
No one is worth killing for either; - again, NOT President Mugabe, NOT Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, certainly NOT Simba Makoni."
That remains to be seen...
Posts: 11729 | Location: Florida | Registered: 25 October 2006
Thanks for that Bill! They(Economist) still have the greatest writing in the business. I let my subscription lapse due to their relentless liberal editorial policies. The paragraph regarding regarding wholesale abandonment of the currency is a real eye opener.
Thought someone out there might find this a little bit interesting.
