ZANU-PF did not produce a manifesto ahead of previous month’s harmonised elections.
The political party went on to win in the election which had been viewed as a sham and falling short of the litmus test of free, fair and credible election.
Towards 2018 elections, ZANU PF had a manifesto which they failed to honour and as usual blamed the economic embargoes targeted on certain individuals as curtailment to the failure.
This time around the political party did not produce a manifesto towards the election which they controversially won.
Former Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, who was also President Mnangagwa’s chief election agent, said that they were not writing a manifesto but the development they have done during their 5 years in power was their manifesto.
Ziyambi said the Government led by the revolutionary party has been implementing development projects in infrastructure, agriculture, education, science and ICT, among others, and those achievements would be its manifesto and not a meaningless flowery document.
An election manifesto can be defined as a list of policies that a political party says it will enact if it is voted into office at a general election.
The word “manifesto”originates from Latin manifestum, which refers to a list of facts.
Before an election, each party is expected to produce an official manifesto which will form the basis of its campaign.
Manifestos are of paramount significance as they are the main way of telling voters why they should give their vote to a particular political party.
They are usually written in a persuasive style which attempts to make readers believe that the policies they contain will be in their best interests.
The key feature of a political manifesto is that it states the party’s policies, as well as explaining what each policy intends to achieve and also outline its importance in order to persuade the voter to support it.
Manifestos normally cover a wide range of political issues, including the economy, health, education, welfare, jobs, housing, defence, the environment and foreign policy among others.
The body of a manifesto usually breaks down the party’s policies into a number of key areas.
When they are added together, the policies covering these different aspects are supposed to create a “package” which will appeal to the kind of voters they are targeting.
However, it is of significance to highlight that manifesto promises are not binding; political parties do not actually to do any of the things they said they would in their manifesto if they succeed in getting elected, although they have to be careful, because failing to implement certain policies can leave voters feeling betrayed, leading to a negative backlash.
The 5 years which ZANU PF will once again be in power will be difficult for the fourth estate to play their watch dog role in assessing if the party will be fulfilling its manifesto.
ZANU PF will not be accountable to anyone as it did not promise anything during the campaign period.