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Michelle Nyakudya listens attentively to the speech of an opposition candidate to the deputation in Zimbabwe. She is still pinching herself to believe it, but the facts are there.
This mother is preparing to vote in a peaceful political climate, without threats or violence. Unheard of for this thirties
In his village of Domboshawa, north of Harare, opposition reigns supreme, yet serenity prevails in the run-up to the general elections of July 30, the first since the fall in President Robert Mugabe's November
"I can say that this election campaign is different," says Michelle, "the previous ones were very violent but this year it's pretty quiet, we're no longer forced to do anything "
" It's a good year, people are free to say what they think, "says Rabina Madziva, unemployed, too.
Fear of fraud
But she remains cautious. "With politics, you never know what can happen after the vote," she adds, "I hope there will be no fraud."
Under the long reign of Robert Mugabe, fraud, intimidation and electoral violence were the rule. The ruffians of the president did not hesitate to beat up, torture or suppress the supporters of the opposition to ensure victory.
In 2008, these brutalities reached such a level that they convinced the leader of the Movement to a democratic change (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai to give up the second round of the presidential election. He was first in the lead.
Finally released by the army and his party, the Zanu-PF, "comrade Bob", 94 spring today, was forced to return the country's keys in November after thirty-seven years of reign.
His successor Emmerson Mnangagwa, long a close friend of the country's former ruler, has since promised that the first general elections without Robert Mugabe would be "free, transparent and honest.
'New Culture'
His past as an executor of the repressive labor of the old regime made him doubt more than one.
But finally, apart from the assassination attempt – attributed to a faction of his own party – which in June targeted the head of state at a public meeting in Bulawayo (south), serious incidents were rare during the campaign.
Everyone is free to do campaign for whom he wants
I think that the departure of Mugabe has promoted a new culture in the country, "said Handsome Madziva, 53, a peasant in Nyahukwe, a village some 200 km southeast of Domboshawa.
Again, election campaign was serene. "It's the most peaceful I've ever known," said Patrick Makonde, a 59-year-old voter who has participated in all the polls since his country's independence in 1980. "
was not hit. Everyone is free to campaign for whoever he wants, "says grandfather, a long time supporter of Zanu-PF. "Young people support their (opposition) parties and we, we keep our trust in the one we have always defended."
Until then without major incident. Then Patrick Makonde hopes to finally live on July 30th his first "normal" election.
Influential Traditional Leaders
Illustration of this change of mood, the MDC election meetings attracted unprecedented crowds, even in rural bastions
Long regarded as the most effective electoral agents of the ruling party, the influential traditional leaders have been urged by the courts to keep a safe distance from the electoral process.
Despite the general improvement in the political climate, attempts to intimidate or pressure Zanu-PF have not disappeared, say NGOs.
Intimidation remains widespread and on the rise, "says WTPZ NGO
One of them, "We the People of Zimbabwe" (WTPZ), claims to have recorded 249 cases of threats in June in the country. "Bullying remains widespread and on the rise," she said in a July 9 report.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) regional chief Dewa Mavhinga is doubtful about converting local leaders ruling party to the moderation of their staff.
"Mnangagwa preaches peace to take advantage of the legitimacy of the vote but those at the bottom of the Zanu-PF hierarchy are feverish," worries M Mavhinga, "the use of violence remains in their genes."
Not enough to worry Joshua Mvere. "I was young in 2008 but I remember that the election was terrible," says the 22-year-old married, "but today we are campaigning like civilized people."
And even though he has long hesitated, it is sure, on July 30 he will go to vote for the first time.
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