WASHINGTON - Most Zimbabweans say they feel free to vote for candidates of their choice and have faith in the secrecy of their ballots but fewer than half say they trust the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
In its latest survey, Afrobarometer said the majority of people value elections and multiparty competition.
According to Afrobarometer, only a minority of citizens consider their 2018 elections to have been free and fair, and trust in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is generally weak. But most feel free to vote as they want and express confidence in ballot secrecy.
Seventy percent of Zimbabweans feel free to vote for candidates of their choice and 76% have faith in the secrecy of their ballots. Fewer than 47% trust ZEC.
“Most Zimbabweans (78%) support elections as the best way to choose their leaders. A similarly clear majority (73%) say Zimbabwe needs many political parties to ensure that voters have a real choice. Majorities think their elections work well to enable voters to remove leaders who don’t do what the people want (59%) and to ensure that members of Parliament reflect voters’ views (53%).”
Afrobarometer says more than eight in 10 citizens (81%) say that once an election is over, the losing side should accept defeat and cooperate with the government to help it develop the country, rather than focus on holding it accountable.
“Fewer than half (44%) of Zimbabweans say their 2018 election was largely free and fair. One in three (33%) say they feared intimidation or violence ‘somewhat’ or ‘a lot’ during the campaign.”
Among Zimbabweans who say they may or will vote in 2023, policy preferences emerge as the most important factor affecting voter decisions, although a majority of citizens also say they favour candidates from their own province.
Zimbabwe is expected to hold general elections sometime this year.