Identifying and Evaluating the Worst Presidents in History “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting…” Daniel 5:27 To view this presentation as a video: https://vimeo.com/866526381?share=copy To listen to this presentation as an audio: sermonaudio.com/sermon/91823191322430 Prejudiced Poll places Populist Presidential Candidate amongst the Worst Recently, CNN announced that Donald Trump was one of the worst presidents America has ever had and that Abraham Lincoln was one of the best. Bizarrely, Obama and Clinton were listed amongst the better presidents and Jimmy Carter was somewhere in the middle. The obviously biased and partisan criteria utilised in this very prejudiced study makes it practically worthless, but still an interesting commentary on those who are attempting to educate the rest of us as to what makes a good, or a bad national leader. According to U.S. News, which compiled its 10 Worst Presidents rankings, they averaged presidents' scores from three separate metrics: C-SPAN's 2021 Presidential Historians Survey, Siena College's Presidential Expert Poll and the Presidential Greatness Rankings conducted by professors at the University of Houston and Boise State University. Who do you think is the worst president of all time? Several years ago, while Barack Hussein Obama was president of the USA, I was a speaker at a Biblical Worldview Youth Conference in Colorado. A guest lecturer made the statement that Obama was the worst president in American history. Was Jimmy Carter the worst president in American history? I commented that he should also consider the damage caused by the foreign policies of Jimmy Carter's presidency: 13 countries were betrayed to communism in the 4 years of Jimmy Carter's disastrous presidency. This included American allies such as Nicaragua, betrayed to the communist Sandinistas and Rhodesia betrayed into the hands of Robert Mugabe’s Marxist ZANU terrorists. Not to mention the Shah of Iran betrayed into the hands of the Ayatollah Khomeini's jihadist crazies. Over 40 years later the people of Zimbabwe and Iran are still suffering the consequences of Jimmy Carter's treacherous foreign policies. "…'Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you.'" 2 Chronicles 19:2 The Catastrophic Consequences of FDR’s Foreign Policies No sooner had I made this point then I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard Dr David Noble say: "Peter, you are wrong! In terms of damage done, consider the catastrophic consequences of Franklin Delano Roosevelt foreign policy: he betrayed one third of the world's population into the hands of communist tyrants such as Joseph Stalin!” What about Abraham Lincoln? Then, somebody from the back of the hall shouted out:“and it all started with Abraham Lincoln!” Inverting Reality and Ignoring Results Yet, according to the Clinton News Network and Useless News these were some of the best presidents of America! Ministering behind the Iron Curtain into Eastern Europe, the persecuted Christians that I fellowshiped with were no fans of FDR! Freedom Betrayed His lend lease technology transfer of vast quantities of high-tech weaponry, tanks and aircraft that saved Stalin's Soviet Union from collapse and betrayal of Eastern Europe into the hands of the most Antichrist bloodthirsty mass murdering dictatorship in history ranked him as one of the very worst leaders in all of history. When I was involved in Bible smuggling behind the Iron Curtain, I quickly learned that Yalta was a swearword amongst the Christians of Eastern Europe. Yalta and Operation Keelhaul It was at Yalta that Stalin, Churchill and FDR redrew the map of Europe to condemn Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Poland, eastern Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania to communist domination and oppression. A secret agreement at Yalta, codenamed Operation Keelhaul condemned millions of Russians and Ukrainians living in Western Europe to be forced, literally at gun and bayonet point by the Allies into the hands of the Soviet NKVD. This included multitudes of unfortunate women and children who had been born in Western Europe and had never even lived in Russia, descendants of those who had fled the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. From 1945 to 1947, over 3 million Russians, Ukrainians and other East Europeans were forced across what would become known as the Iron Curtain into the hands of the murderous Bolsheviks. Many tens of thousands were immediately shot, most ended up as slave labour in the Arctic hellholes of the Soviet GULAG concentration camps in Siberia. Assassinating Allies The Polish Christians added that FDR and Churchill conspired to assassinate the Polish commander Gen Sikorski, 4th of July 1943 at Gibraltar. Władysław Sikorski, his daughter and the high command of Poland all died in a mysterious plane crash in which only the pilot survived. The fact that communications between US Pres Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during June and July 1943 are still sealed has added to the suspicion that the Polish leader was removed because of his demands for independent international investigation into the brutal Katyn Massacre of tens of thousands of Polish officers and NCOs by their Soviet allies. "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption." 2 Peter 2:19 The Objective Standard by which All Leaders are Judged Is there an objective standard by which we can evaluate leaders of nations? Yes, the Bible is the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of Almighty God. In the Bible books of 1 and 2 Kings, each leader is evaluated in terms of their worship, whether they were faithful to God or not, and their ethics and policies, whether they upheld justice and the Law of God or not. Kings who tolerated, or participated in, Idolatry, Immorality, Interfaith worship or apostasy were condemned as failures. Those leaders who allowed prostitution, or perversion, and child sacrifice were condemned as evil. Kings who foolishly went to war when they did not need to are condemned as bad leaders. Those who failed to live up to their promises, or who violated the Covenant, are condemned. Those who feared God, upheld Biblical justice, protected lives and property, led the nation in prayer and repentance promoting work ethic and worship are described as good Kings. Although he was by no means perfect, King David is praised as Israel's greatest King and "a man after God's own heart." King Ahab is condemned as one of the worst of all the Kings of Israel and Judah. Ahab married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, whose schemings and false charges against Naboth enabled Ahab to covet and seize his Vineyard. This treacherous event marked the beginning of the prophet Elijah’s ministry. Elijah famously confronted Ahab and Jezebel and then their false prophets on Mount Carmel. This contest culminated in God spectacularly sending fire upon the altar in answer to the fervent prayer of Elijah. “And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” 1 Kings 18:21 Character and Conduct Determine the Fate of a Nation The Southern kingdom of Judah had 19 Kings and one queen, 12 of whom are condemned for having done evil in the eyes of the Lord. 8 are commended and 2, Hezekiah and Josiah, are highly praised for their diligence in opposing immorality and uprooting idolatry. In the northern Kingdom of Israel, all 20 kings were bad, 14 of which were severely condemned for being exceptionally evil. While the South had one dynasty, the northern Kingdom of Israel had 9 dynasties with the succession precipitated by assassinations 6 times. The Bible shows that the character and conduct of a king decides the fate of a nation. The Bible books of 1 and 2 Kings catalogues why both Israel and Judah were judged, defeated, exiled and scattered. The Scripture makes clear that God hates all idolatry and child sacrifice. The division of Israel, the fall of Jerusalem, the exile and scattering of the tribes of Israel make clear that God is serious. He is a holy God and we cannot break His Law with impunity. As warned in Deuteronomy 28, there are catastrophic consequences for a nation turning away from God. What we sow we shall reap. "If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 All civil authority is delegated by God and answerable to God “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” Proverbs 14:34 Our Lord Jesus Christ declared: "'You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above…'" John 19:11. All civil authority is delegated by God and answerable to God. "For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; it is He Who will save us." Isaiah 33:22. How should we evaluate presidents in the light of these Biblical standards? Ultimately only what the Eternal Judge declares Matters It really does not matter what some biased journalists (presstitutes actually), or prejudiced politicians or atheist academics think or say. What does the Word of God say? Many leaders who are highly praised by the world media have "done evil in the sight of the Lord." The Biased Broadcasting Corporation Slime magazine, Newspeak and Useless News may praise some individuals as the greatest, but if they supported the killing of children by abortion their presidency is an abomination in the sight of God. Similarly, presidents who supported compulsory secular humanist education did evil in the sight of the Lord. Those presidents who on their watch allowed the Bible to be removed from school classrooms, prayer to be outlawed in government schools, evolutionism, cultural Marxism, critical race theory and gender confusion to be force-fed to generations of children in state schools funded by the taxpayer: What will those presidents have to say to the Eternal Judge on the Day of Judgement? "For we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." 2 Cor. 5:10 A Trail of BetrayalDuring the 4 years of the presidency of Jimmy Carter, 13 countries fell to communism. In most cases, they did not just fall to communism, but were actually betrayed into the hands of communist revolutionaries. It was a high foreign policy goal of Jimmy Carter's presidency to force the people of Rhodesia to hand over to Robert Mugabe's ZANU terrorists. Americans voted out Jimmy Carter from the presidency over 32 years ago. However, the longsuffering people of Zimbabwe are still stuck with Carter's legacy in the form of Robert Mugabe's murderous Marxist dictatorship. "You shall do no injustice in judgement. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbour." Leviticus 19:15 A Legacy of Liberty No countries fell to communism during the 8 years of Ronald Reagan's presidency. In fact countries started to be freed from communist oppression. Ronald Reagan put freedom on the offensive, supported resistance movements in communist countries and helped win the Cold War that brought down the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain. The collapse of communism throughout Eastern Europe in 1989, brought about a new era of religious freedom and Missionary activity that had previously been inconceivable. Strength and Weakness As one politician observed: "There is nothing they despise more than weakness; there is nothing they respect more than strength!" America was plainly despised in the days of Jimmy Carter. However, America was respected under Ronald Reagan. Persecution Increases As a missionary to persecuted churches, I could not help but notice, that during the Bill Clinton era, we witnessed and experienced a steady increase of violent persecution of Christians in the Muslim world. It was in the 1990s that radical Islamic regimes, such as the National Islamic Front in Sudan, began systematic terror bombing campaigns of churches, hospitals and schools. It was at that same time that I experienced artillery and aerial bombardments while ministering in churches in Sudan. In 1996, as I flew into South Sudan immediately after the US elections, the Governor of Equatoria greeted me on the airstrip with: "How could the Americans elect Clinton Again!?!" "…Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!" Joshua 24:15 Promoting an Explosion of Persecution After Obama became president of the USA, and as a result of his Arab Spring intervention, support of the radical Muslim Brotherhood and launching and funding of the ISIS terrorist group which brought massive destabilisation to the Middle East, toppling the stable American ally in Egypt and overthrowing the government of Libya, there was an unmistakable escalation of violent attacks on Christians worldwide, particularly in the Muslim Middle East. Literally hundreds of churches were bombed and burned throughout Northern Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan and Iraq. Between 2010 and 2015 there were over 1000 attacks on churches in northern Nigeria and over 17,000 Christians were killed by Boko Haram Islamic jihadists. The Lord Jesus Christ declared: "The Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone. Whoever falls on that Stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." Luke 20:17-18 American Foreign Policy Affects Lives I'm sure that most Americans do not think foreign policy when they vote for their president. However, believers in Africa and the Middle East would earnestly entreat our brethren in America to seriously consider the foreign policy implications of their votes. Lives are at stake. Jesus warned us:" Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" Luke 12:4-5 Doomed There is no doubt that millions of people died throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East because of the foreign policies of Jimmy Carter. Tens-of-millions continue to suffer to this day as a result of the Carter foreign policy legacy, including the people in Iran. It needs to be remembered that the Shah of Iran was one of America's closest allies in the Middle East when Jimmy Carter's State Department actively worked to betray their ally and push Iran over to the ayatollahs. The end result of that has yet to be seen as Iran continues to be a volatile part of the extremely violent Middle East. Delivered However, as I wrote in my article: Ronald Reagan Saved Lives in Angola, there are many millions of people alive, and free, today, because of the far-sighted and courageous foreign policies of President Ronald Reagan. Economic Success Considering the impressive economic progress made by the United States of America under Pres Donald Trump, it seems grossly unfair for CNN to label him: the worst president. Donald Trump made America energy independent with the lowest unemployment rate and lowest illegal border crossing rates in recent history. He left America with its strongest southern border, a revitalised military, low fuel costs and low inflation. Most importantly, he was the first American presence in many years to not initiate a new war! Perhaps that is the reason why the deep state and its compliant mainstream/lame stream media rejected him. Perhaps they think it is unpatriotic to not fuel the “military industrial complex” with more expensive overseas endless wars! His Abraham Accords strengthened peace in the Middle East and his diplomacy surprised everyone by meeting with the North Korean dictator and averting what many had been predicting as an inevitable war with nuclear armed North Korea. Disastrous During the disastrous Obama presidency a billboard appeared with a smiling Jimmy Carter declaring: “at least they can't call me the worst president anymore!” With more and more evidence coming out of rampant corruption, drug abuse and the American State Department and CIA engineering of the overthrow of the elected government in Ukraine and its replacement with a corrupt puppet client state, the Obama presidency should be considered for "the worst presidency" 23A Policy of Promoting Perversion - The Gay Ukraine Connection The democratically elected Ukraine government that was overthrown in the violent 2014 coup d'état had laws against LGBTQ perversion and grooming of children. However, after the 2014 revolution, the American installed regime immediately began to pass legislation promoting the Gay and transgender agenda. Even the head of Britain's MI6 recently tweeted that the war in Ukraine is important because it is over the values that distinguish Western Europe from Putin’s Russia, the values of LGBTQ rights! This confirmed what Russian Orthodox Church patriarch Kirill observed: that America wages wars against those who will not promote the LGBTQ gay marches and perverted agenda! If that is true, then the world is being pushed towards a 3rd World War as a result of a policy of promoting perversion. Fake News, Fake Elections and a Fake President The Biden White House is an example of what election interference can achieve. As the Twitter files demonstrate, federal intelligence agencies urged Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms to, suppress any information deemed unfavourable, censor dissent, deplatform those considered to be a threat to the leftist/globalist agenda and to promote the Biden presidential campaign. Possibly one of the most incompetent and corrupt administrations ever seen in the Western world (which is saying something when considering Justin Trudeau’s oppressive government in Canada and Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand.) In terms of suppressing free speech, restricting religious freedom, mandating the masquerade madness, lockdown lunacy and salvation by vaccination Covid cult, Biden, Harris, Trudeau and Ardern must rate as some of the worst governments ever seen in the Western world. Yet inexplicably Biden is not even refer to in the latest listing of worst presidents. Surely Biden must be a candidate for one of the very worst. He has trouble putting two sentences together and one foot in front of the other. When the president needs to be guided by a man in a rabbit suit, something is seriously wrong. The Demographic Timebomb Unprecedented millions of illegal migrants have crossed the southern American border illegally along with and explosion of drugs and human trafficking under Biden's Open Borders policy. An open border is no border at all. The shocking increase in crime, drugs and violence that has come along with this invasion is apparently considered acceptable to radical democrats who see these illegal aliens as easily manipulable future voters to swamp and counter the rising populist tsunami that supports Trump’s Make America Great Again movement. Some radical democrats are openly speaking about the need for a great replacement to permanently alter the demographics of America by importing welfare dependents who can be counted on to vote for their party no matter how disastrous their political failures. An Urgent Call to Prayer and Action Ideas have consequences. What we sow, we reap. There are consequences for every action. We continue to pray that our Christian brethren in the United States will be in much prayer and seek the wisdom of God as they approach the critical election year of 2024. “Select capable men from all the people - men who fear God; trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them as officials...” Exodus 18:21 Back to the Bible for Reformation and Revival May we all be Faithful to God's Word and effective in His service as we seek to reclaim our countries for Christ, laying solid Biblical foundations for Reformation and earnestly praying for Spiritual Revival.
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Stolen Elections yet again in Zimbabwe
Logistical Failures and Missing Ballot Papers General elections were held throughout Zimbabwe on 23 and 24 August 2023 for one presidential seat, 210 parliamentary seats and 1,770 council seats to be elected for a five year term. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation reported that in 5 wards in Manicaland citizens were not able to vote at all because of logistical difficulties of the ZEC, including the failure of ballot papers to arrive. Voting in another 35 wards was delayed, 11 of these wards were in the capital of the country, Harare, which is a stronghold for the opposition. This ultimately lead to ZEC declaring 24 August 2023, as an additional voting day. Although, according to Zimbabwean law, voting is required to take place within one day. There were overnight queues. There were reportedly delays of up to 10 hours in opposition stronghold areas. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission acknowledged the late distribution of ballot papers at some polling stations and blamed it on printing delays. “Select capable men from all the people - men who fear God; trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them as officials...” Exodus 18:21 Most seriously, 41 independent poll monitors /observers were arrested during the election. Numerous accusations of vote rigging were made. There is no way that the recent Zimbabwean elections can be declared free and fair, as confirmed by observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with widespread reports of voter intimidation and the cancellation of opposition rallies. Observers also listed censored media coverage (the State controls the news media, print, radio and TV in Zimbabwe) and new, draconian laws like the Patriotic Bill, which authorizes penalties, including the death penalty, for anyone found guilty of "willfully damaging the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe." The vague wording gives authorities ample scope to use and abuse the bill against political opponents. Election Day itself was shambolic, with polling stations in opposition strongholds far more likely to experience significant delays and inadequate materials than others. Ruling party agents intimidated voters at “exit poll” tables where they recorded citizens’ personal details before they voted, while disinformation campaigns discouraged people from turning up to vote at all. Independent journalists and election observers were denied entry to the country, and local observers working on the parallel vote tabulation were arrested. "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption…" 2 Peter 2:19 Foreign Journalists Banned and Independent Observers Arrested Official Results Questioned Officially, according to the ZEC: the ruling Marxist party, Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) won 136 seats and the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change( CCC ) won 73, with ZANU–PF dominating most rural areas (primarily Mashonaland) and the opposition CCC capturing the urban vote, particularly Harare and Bulawayo and Matabeleland. Officially, the ZEC election commissioner announced on Saturday that: Zanu-PF President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, won the election with 52.6% of the vote, while opposition Citizens’Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa,45 years old, received 44% of the votes. According to the official results, Zanu-PF presidential candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa got 2.46 million votes, or 52% of the votes cast, compared with the Citizens Coalition for Change candidate Nelson Chamisa’s 2.15 million votes, or 45% of the votes cast. The opposition has rejected the results and outside observers have raised serious questions about the process. “They stole your voice and vote but never your hope,” Chamisa wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. “There shall be freedom and justice in Zimbabwe!”( Fortunately, the people of Zimbabwe have more freedom of speech than those in United States of America where questioning the official election results can get one arrested.) The main opposition party, in Zimbabwe, the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), has rejected the official election results and demanded that the country should redo the election. Saviour Kasukuwere, a former Zimbabwean Cabinet Minister disqualified from running for the presidency by the High Court, said that Zimbabweans were "dismayed" and that the whole process was a "charade." Kasukuwere, declared that the ZANU-PF government has “No legitimacy.” "We can't continue with this charade where you want to keep the country in isolation because you want to win elections illegally," In the words of veteran opposition leader and former Zimbabwean Finance Minister, Tendai Biti: “Millions of Zimbabweans hoped for change. They hoped to be delivered from the scourge of unemployment, poverty, decayed infrastructure, collapsed public services, captured institutions, violence and an exhausted liberation movement that continues to hold them hostage.” The opposition immediately contested the results, with Chamisa calling the vote "fraught with unprecedented illegality." Speaking on Sunday, the CCC head described the ZEC election results as "doctored" and "criminal." Chamisa describes the Zimbabwe elections as: “blatant and gigantic fraud.” “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” Proverbs 14:34 The Failure of South Africa's Silent Diplomacy with a Murderous Regime Evidently South Africa’s "silent diplomacy" with Zimbabwe has been an abysmal failure and has instead increased the humanitarian burden on South Africa and other neighbouring states which accommodates millions of refugees who have fled from the failed state of Zimbabwe. As ActionSA leader Mashaba has declared:"But instead of demanding accountability from Zanu-PF, the ruling ANC party has chosen to support the murderous ZANU-PF regime and has even provided millions of dollars in bailouts to the nation. The ruling party(ANC) has repeatedly allowed Zanu-PF to abuse the Zimbabwean people, leading to thousands of Zimbabweans crossing our borders to seek jobs, healthcare, and shelter in South Africa." " We cannot allow a situation where humanitarian disasters are created because the South African government favours murderous regimes instead of demanding accountability for human rights abuses," said the ActionSA leader. “…Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore, the wrath of the Lord is upon you.” 2 Chronicles 19:2 Unbelievable The official results of the Zimbabwean elections held last week are that Zanu-PF won, yet again! What we are being asked to believe is that one of Africa’s least successful political parties (which managed to reduce GDP per capita in real terms from $1,600 at independence in 1980 to under $1,300 today, 50 years later, in real terms after several bouts of hyperinflation which destroyed almost everybody's savings, pensions and earnings) has been endorsed, yet again, by the majority of its citizens. Either Zimbabweans are the most intellectually challenged and economically benighted people in the world, or there is something suspicious going on here. “Have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Ephesians 5:11 US State Department recognises that the elections in Zimbabwe were unfree and unfair The United States condemned recent presidential elections in Zimbabwe. The US State Department says that the ruling party suppressed the opposition and hindered independent observers. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declared in a statement Monday: “We call on the ZEC to make the disaggregated polling station results publicly available to increase confidence in the result tabulation process,”. Miller said the reported intimidation and interference with electoral observers undermines democratic rule and U.S. diplomats are discussing their concerns with regional leaders. The U.S. has a long history of financial and political support for Zimbabwe and was the first to open an embassy there after independence in 1980. Just in fiscal year 2022, the U.S. provided $398.59 million in aid to Zimbabwe. US assistance also included $12.91 million to support democracy, human rights and governance in Zimbabwe. Comparing Zimbabwe Elections and Economy with Botswana Compare this disastrous, downward economic trajectory with Botswana next door; Botswana is also landlocked, also the product of British colonialism, also dominated by a single party, also mineral export-dependent. Botswana’s GDP per capita in real terms has risen from around $2,000 in 1980, according to economics website Trading Economics, to $7,000 over the same period. South Africa’s was about $4,500 in 1994 when the ANC were handed power, and it’s now around $6,000. It is generally accepted that any government of a country where the economy is in decline will be voted out of office by the electorate. It is unprecedented that voters who are suffering economically vote for the government under whom their economy declined. Zimbabwe suffers from soaring inflation, high unemployment, poor public health resources and a weak education system. Although it is full of natural resources, such as gold, platinum and lithium, mismanagement and corruption hasn’t translated those minerals into substantial revenue to benefit the population, leaving the government in massive debt to international lenders, particularly Red China. “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting...” Daniel 5:27 Neither Free nor Fair According to the Zimbabwe observer missions, the elections were far from free and fair. International election observers stressed that there had been problems with the poll. They cited an atmosphere of intimidation against Chamisa's CCC supporters. Even the SADC Electoral Observation Mission, which is normally very cautious about making forthright judgements, said the poll was “well below expected standards”. The mission talked about the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s failure to distribute ballots on time, resulting in delayed polls in some parts of the country; the inability of voters in Manicaland to cast any votes, the banning of foreign journalists and opposition rallies; and a shadowy group called Forever Associates Zimbabwe linked to Zanu-PF, which set up “survey desks” outside polling stations in an intimidatory manner towards voters. No reasonable person would call these elections fair, which is why several observer missions, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the European Union, issued statements pointing to profound flaws in the process. But the deck was stacked well before these observer missions arrived on the ground. The pre-election climate featured draconian new legal restrictions on freedom of expression and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which is blatantly politicized and widely mistrusted, tilted the playing field in multiple ways, including undertaking a partisan delimitation exercise that failed to account for the growth of Zimbabwe’s urban centres and neglecting to fulfil its legal duties of making an accurate electronic voters’ roll available to candidates. Rural areas which are the traditional support bases of ZANU have many more seats, whereas urban areas which are traditional strongholds of the opposition have far fewer seats proportional to their population. “Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice.” Isaiah 1:16-17 The violation of the Lancaster House Agreement and the Fraudulent 1980 Elections ZANU-PF came to power through blatantly fraudulent elections in 1980 where they failed to adhere to the requirements of the Lancaster House peace agreement and engaged in massive intimidation and terrorism, murdering opposition supporters and assassinating opposition candidates. Yet, the British Governor Lord Christopher Soames failed to disqualify Mugabe’s ZANU-PF as required by the Lancaster House agreement. Nor did Gov Soames rule inadmissible the votes in areas where ZANU-PF intimidation had been rife. By rewarding the blatant violations and ignoring the murderous intimidation tactics, the British Foreign Office taught Mugabe’s Marxist ZANU-PF terrorists that it did not matter how many laws they violated, nor how many people they murdered, as long as they won the election, they would be accorded every courtesy, welcomed as members of the Commonwealth, the African Union and the United Nations and receive hundreds of millions of pounds and dollars in foreign aid. Having come to power through deception and violence, ZANU has continue to maintain its power through deception and violence. Zimbabwe's security forces have a history of cracking down on protesters around election time. This happened in the last national elections in Zimbabwe, 2018, when soldiers killed six people after opening fire on demonstrators and bystanders, and in 2008, which saw dozens of deaths and abductions. "Who will rise up for Me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for Me against the workers of iniquity?" Psalm 94:16 Historic Voting Patterns in Zimbabwean Elections If you look at Zimbabwe’s elections historically, you cannot help but notice some absolutely extraordinary things. We cannot tell what happens in the voting booths, but one thing we do know is how many votes were cast. The first noticeable thing about Zimbabwe is that the proportion of people who are registered voters is very small compared with the population. Supposedly, officially, there are 16 million Zimbabwean citizens. That means 35% of the total population is registered. Compare that with SA, where about 40% are registered, and Namibia, with about 53% registered. The small proportion of voters registered in Zimbabwe is suspiciously low. The second thing to notice is that in Zimbabwe’s case, when you compare the past three elections, the number of registered voters is declining. That is quite bizarre. How can that possibly be happening? In a young country, it should be increasing as more of the youth reach voting age. That is what is happening in South Africa and Namibia. South Africa adds about a million new voters per election.
Yet, incredibly, even though the number of registered voters is declining, the number of votes cast is increasing in Zimbabwe. The percentage of votes cast as a proportion of registered voters has exploded — it’s now sitting at 85%. So, in this past election, we are supposed to believe that 85% of registered Zimbabwean voters cast their votes. By comparison, in both SA and Namibia, the number of votes cast as a percentage of registered voters is about 70% and that, by international standards, is extremely high. You can get some very high and very low voter turnouts around the world. Brazil has just had one of the most fiercely contested elections in its history in which 79% of registered voters voted. The UK’s most recent election, also hotly contested, drew about 67% of registered voters. But an 85% turnout is extremely rare. Based on these figures, it would appear that the Zanu-PF supporters, who make up most of the electoral authority, are engaging in that old trick of the incumbent government: they are not updating the voters’ roll unless the voters can be relied on to vote the right way. Unfortunately, inevitably, some voters are dying, so that reduces the total voters’ roll. And that would, of course, inflate the proportion of votes cast, which is exactly what we are seeing. There are also reports of votes for the ruling party from citizens who are deceased. By controlling the ballot in this way, Zanu-PF can effectively steal the election — but subtly. Doing so is never going to be entirely invisible. But the point is that it can be stolen in a way that offers a sufficient amount of doubt which will allow the party to make the claim, dubious as it may be, that it and the president were democratically elected. This was not a poll “below expected standards”. It was an obviously fraudulent poll, a stolen election. “If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14 you can listen to the radio programme: How the Recent Elections in Zimbabwe were Stolen here: https://soundcloud.com/user-779428885/the-real-story-of-how-the-recent-elections-in-zimbabwe-were-stolen?utm_source=www.frontlinemissionsa.org&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fuser-779428885%252Fthe-real-story-of-how-the-recent-elections-in-zimbabwe-were-stolen Please pray for and support Frontline's Mission to Zimbabwe: https://www.givesendgo.com/Boxeswithlove |
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