Delayed Reaction: President

Premise: A documentary about the contentious 2017 Presidential Election in Zimbabwe.

 

It's a myopic view to have, but my biggest takeaway from President is that maybe it's not so bad in the USA. Having just come off an election that people claimed was rigged despite having plenty of transparency and 50 different independent bodies tabulating votes, it was a nice reminder how much more legitimate the US system is than in these countries trying to come out of dictatorship rule. The best thing I can say about President is that I came out of it with a surprisingly thorough understanding of the Zimbabwean election process. I know the key acronym bodies and the tactics used to sway the results. At over 2 hours, it leaves few stones left unturned.

 

It's a great movie for showing how bureaucracy can be used as a tool for corruption. The ZANU-PF party that controls the government very effectively disrupts the MDC opposition party at every step. At the beginning of the process. the country's leaders invite global media to film the process in an effort to give transparency and keep relative peace. It does work in the sense that no major figures are assassinated, but it doesn't stop the ZANU-PF from setting up numerous roadblocks, including the questionable staffing of the Zimbabwe Election Committee.

 

My biggest issue with the movie is a common one for documentaries. I felt like I was only being told half the story. That partly makes sense. It's specifically following the MDC opposition party candidate, so it's going to favor that perspective. A little devil's advocate goes a long way in this kind of movie though. The way it's painted in this, basically no one actually supports the ZANU-PF party, and they have to massively rig the election for Emmerson Mnangagwa - who is basically a dictator - to win. And maybe it is that corrupt. But I can't help but notice a few things. Mnangagwa only wins by 6% and the MDC Alliance made gains in the Parliamentary election (although it lost that by even more votes than the presidential election). They also mention how ZANU-PF does better in rural areas. This all sounds suspiciously like when Democrats in the US protest a Republican victory. So, I immediately get suspicious about the bill of goods this doc is selling me. At over 2 hours long, there should've been room in President to at least explain why it's not impossible for people to actually just support the ZANU-PF.

 

Verdict: Weakly Recommend