ZIMBABWE RULING PARTY MODERATES BOYCOTT "SHAM"

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000847 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER PASS USAID FOR AFR/SA C. PALMA CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 00847 261603Z PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/11 TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM ZI SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE RULING PARTY MODERATES BOYCOTT "SHAM" PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL IRVING FOR REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) MODERATES ALIGNED TO MASVINGO ZANU-PF "SUPREMO" EDDISON ZVOBGO BOYCOTTED FEBRUARY 24'S PROVINCIAL PARTY ELECTIONS BECAUSE THEY WERE A "SHAM." THE ZANU-PF FACTION ALIGNED WITH MASVINGO GOVERNOR JOSIAH HUNGWE, WHO IS AN ALLY OF PRESIDENT MUGABE AND VICE-PRESIDENT MUZENDA, WERE ELECTED TO THE PARTY'S PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE UNOPPOSED. MINISTER OF EDUCATION, SPORTS AND CULTURE SAMUEL MUMBENGEGWI WAS ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF THE MASVINGO PARTY STRUCTURE, AND WAR VETERANS WERE ELECTED TO MOST OTHER KEY POSTS, ACCORDING TO THE FEBRUARY 26 EDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED "THE HERALD." THE NEW PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE REPLACES THE ONE SUSPENDED LAST YEAR BY THE POLITBURO. MUMBENGEGWI REPLACES LONG-TIME PROVINCIAL CHAIRMAN DZIKAMAI MAVHAIRE, AN ALLY OF ZVOBGO. ¶2. (C) ZVOBGO TOLD CHARGE AND POLOFF FEBRUARY 26 THAT THE PARTY ELECTIONS WERE "BOGUS" AND FLOUTED ZANU-PF'S OWN ELECTORAL PROCEDURES, WHICH WAS WHY HIS FACTION DID NOT PARTICIPATE. ZVOBGO HAD MADE CLEAR TO NATIONAL CHAIRMAN JOHN NKOMO AND VICE-PRESIDENT JOSEPH MSIKA THAT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 00847 261603Z THE "MINIMUM CONDITIONS DID NOT EXIST" FOR HIS PARTICIPATION, AND THAT HE WOULD NOT BE A CANDIDATE FOR PROVINCIAL CHAIRMAN. HE TOLD THEM THAT THE ELECTION WOULD BE A "FRAUD" AND ASKED FOR THE ELECTION TO BE POSTPONED, BUT PARTY COMMISSAR BORDER GEZI ALLOWED THE ELECTIONS TO GO FORWARD ANYWAY. ¶3. (C) ZVOBGO TOLD US THAT THE PARTY DID NOT FOLLOW ITS OWN PROCEDURES FOR THE ELECTIONS. NORMALLY, EVERY FOUR YEARS, THE PROVINCIAL LEADERSHIP PREPARES A REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE PROVINCE AND CONVENES A MEETING OF ALL LOCAL PARTY LEADERS AND STAKEHOLDERS. AT THIS MEETING, THE MODALITIES OF NEW ELECTIONS, SUCH AS THE NUMBER OF ELECTORAL DISTRICTS AND DELEGATES, ARE DETERMINED, ZVOBGO STATED. THIS TIME, SUCH A MEETING WAS NOT HELD, AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE DISTRICTS WAS NOT MADE AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. RECORDS WERE REMOVED FROM THE PARTY OFFICES, AND THE PARTY REGISTER WAS TAMPERED WITH, ZVOBGO ASSERTED. IN ADDITION, DISTRICT CHAIRMEN-- LOCALLY-ELECTED PARTY REPRESENTATIVES--ARE USUALLY APPOINTED AS THE DELEGATES WHO ELECT THE PROVINCIAL LEADERSHIP. THIS TIME, UNELECTED PEOPLE FAVORABLE TO HUNGWE AND MUZENDA WERE APPOINTED, AND THE LOCAL CHAIRMEN WERE SIDELINED. ZVOBGO CONCLUDED THAT HIS FACTION HAD NO CHANCE OF WINNING THE ELECTIONS, AND SO THEY BOYCOTTED THEM. ZVOBGO DESCRIBED THE NEW PROVINCIAL LEADERSHIP AS "BOGUS" AND "ILLEGITIMATE." ¶4. (C) ZVOBGO HAD HOPED THE ELECTIONS WOULD UNITE THE LONG-DIVIDED PROVINCE, BUT INSTEAD, IT WILL BE MORE DIVIDED THAN EVER, HE OPINED. THE MASVINGO "SUPREMO" CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 00847 261603Z TOLD US THAT HE SOON PLANS TO HOLD A PROVINCE-WIDE PARTY CONFERENCE WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF SEVEN DISTRICT COUNCILS IN WHAT SOUNDS LIKE AN ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH A PARALLEL ZANU-PF STRUCTURE IN MASVINGO. ZVOBGO OFFERED NO OTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE TIMING AND PURPOSE OF THIS CONFERENCE, BUT SOUGHT FUNDING FROM US TO PULL IT OFF. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: THE MASVINGO ZANU-PF "ELECTIONS" PROVIDE YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF MUGABE'S CADRE RUNNING ROUGHSHOD OVER RULES AND REGULATIONS, EVEN IN ITS OWN PARTY. EVEN THE NOMINAL DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURES OF ZANU- PF ARE GIVEN SHORT SHRIFT IN THIS CURRENT LAWLESS ENVIRONMENT. UNLESS ZVOBGO CAN QUICKLY MARSHALL PROVINCE-WIDE SUPPORT AT HIS UPCOMING CONFERENCE, HIS DAYS AS A FORCE IN MASVINGO AND ZANU-PF POLITICS COULD BE NUMBERED. HE REPRESENTS ONE OF THE ONLY BASTIONS OF RESISTANCE TO MUGABE'S POLICIES IN ZANU-PF, AND WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE THE FOCUS OF THE PRESIDENT'S EFFORTS TO QUASH DISSENT IN ONE OF ZIMBABWE'S LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT PROVINCES. END COMMENT. IRVING CONFIDENTIAL >