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This issue of ExchangeEveryDay is unusual in two respects: First, it does not relate directly to early childhood education; and second, it is longer than normal. Recently, a member of the Leadership Team for the World Forum on Men in Early Care and Education Working Group, MacDonald Sembereka from Mali, served as part of the Southern Africa Development Commission International Observers Team, which observed the recent presidential election in Zimbabwe. Here is his unedited report:

"Zimbabwe had its first round of elections held on 29th March, 2008. It emerged that against all odds, the opposition excelled in votes in both parliamentary and the presidential candidates. However, they fell short of getting the constitutional required 50 + 1 votes for Morgan to be declared winner. According to the constitution, a run-off election between the two main contenders (Morgan and Mugabe) was required. The constitution requirement that a run-off must be conducted within 21 days was not done. This delay in conducting the elections as required under Zimbabwe’s own laws, gave ZANU- PF (Mugabe’s party) an opportunity to re-strategize that included heavy intimidation of the opposition sympathizers and supporters among other party agents who represented the opposition during the 29th March, 2008 vote.

"When the date was announced, the opposition reluctantly accepted it mindful of the new strategies ZANU- PF had hatched. Leaders of the opposition were threatened with treason charges while members of the non-profit NGO ZESN’s (representing Morgan) were in and out of police custody. Militia sponsored by ZANU- PF used all avenues to force people to vote for Mugabe in-order for them to save them lives. People’s homes were torched and Harare hospitals were full of people hacked by these militias. This forced the opposition presidential candidate to withdraw from the race, but despite many calls for the run off to be stopped, Mugabe hardly took heed to any of such calls in the name of 'following what our constitution say.' The opposition leader was forced to run and seek refuge in the Dutch Embassy in Harare for fear of his life.

"The Election Day was characterized by a high degree of apathy and protest voting. Since so many people were being forced to vote (under a door to door campaign), by the ZANU- PF militias, those who picked the courage stayed away while others went and ticked both candidates in protest. Because of the high levels of intimidation and the inhumane living conditions I witnessed during the vote counting, a number of ballots with such words as 'you forced me', 'you messed the country up', 'you want to rule until you die', and the others deface the incumbents’ picture.

"The results were trickling in slowly at most of the provincial tally centres. The other bizarre instance was on the postal [absentee] ballots, it demanded that for your vote to qualify, your senior [employer] had to authenticate it. This vote was mainly utilized by the uniformed officers — it wasn’t easy for these to vote for an opposition candidate and let their bosses sign for that — most of the postal votes went to Mugabe.

"As the votes were being counted, the state house was busy preparing for the swearing in of the president. One Diplomat in our company confided to me that he had received a phone call from the ministry of Foreign Affairs that they should be at State House by 2 pm soon after the swearing in, Mugabe took plan to join the Africa Union Summit that was taking place in Egypt. His peers pressed on him to look at what should culminate into a power sharing government.

"Once a breadbasket for the region, Zimbabwe is now a watershed state with children lacking food and even nappies, etc. One American dollar is well over 20 billion Zimbabwe dollars today. People's earning hasn’t improved to match the high cost of living in this once and mighty Zimbabwe. The best terms to describe what took place on the 27th of June 2008 could be a 'sham' or 'coup' or 'raping the population'. The increasing cost of living has forced millions of Zimbabweans to leave the country and seek refuge in either a neighboring state or overseas — children, women, and elderly are the most affected in the Zimbabwe crisis. Let us all unite and save the children of Zimbabwe to live and enjoy a humane life."

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Check out upcoming World Forum events including the Working Forum for Multi-Site Organizations and the 2009 World Forum on Early Care and Education.

And read about the recent Working Forum for Teacher Educators and Men in Early Care and Education.

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