Coltart Says Afrobarometer Survey Shows Mnangagwa "Has A Mountain To Climb"
CCC member David Coltart has rejected claims by some political commentators that party leader Nelson Chamisa “has a mountain to climb” to win the presidential race based on the results of the recent Afrobarometer survey.
The Afrobarometer and Mass Public Opinion Institute recently released pre-election survey findings indicating a decline in support for the CCC and a surge in support for ZANU PF.
According to the report, 27% of respondents said they will vote for Chamisa, a decrease of 6% since June 2022, and 35% said they will vote for President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a 5%.
Posting on Twitter, Coltart argued that the most important finding is that 85% are unhappy with the current state of affairs in the country. He wrote:
I fundamentally disagree with Afrobarometer commentators who say that [Nelson Chamisa] has a mountain to climb. I believe the following slide is the key – namely that 27% “refuse to answer”.
In a country where 85% have said the government is “performing badly” as revealed in another section of the poll, in a country where there has been a long history of political violence – decades-long- supported by another poll question where 6 in 10 people “fear political violence” – these 27% are not swing voters in the usual sense but voters who “refused to answer”.
Swing voters are those “who don’t know”. People who support ZANU PF have nothing to fear & that is why they are happy to reveal their voting intentions.
I agree that CCC and Chamisa can’t just take for granted that the 27% “refusenics” will vote for them they may vote for CCC or some other party or candidate.
The one thing one can be sure about is that they certainly won’t vote for ZANU PF. So my reading is that it is Mnangagwa and ZANU PF who have a mountain to climb, not CCC and Nelson Chamisa.
One final point – some of the 35% who say they will vote for Mnangagwa & ZANU PF – may themselves be so fearful that they have stated that they will vote for ZANU PF and Mnangagwa rather than record a “refusal”.
The most important finding is that 85% are unhappy.
Zimbabweans go to the poll on 23 August 2023 to elect the president, members of parliament and councillors who will serve for the next five years.
However, the run-up to the elections has been marred by the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s refusal to allow CCC to campaign, a development that will most likely result in a disputed poll outcome.
More: Pindula News
