Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Harare (Fides Service)- Almost 6 million voters will be eligible to take part tomorrow 31 March in legislative elections in Zimbabwe, a country which has suffered years of serious political crisis due mainly to the decision taken by President Robert Mugabe to confiscate lands belonging to European farmers.
This year’s electoral campaign was characterised by the absence of significant violence, compared with campaigns in 2000 and 2002, marked by intense violence and hundreds of victims.
The main competitors are Mugabe’s party Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front ZANU PF and the Movement for Democratic Change MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai. President Mugabe focused his electoral campaign on national defence from an “alleged” attempt by Britain to “re-colonise the country” while Tsvangirai focussed on the problems of unemployment and food shortage. The land reform programme upset the production system of Zimbabwe once an exporter of food and now dependent on international food aid.
While opposition parties recognise the absence of violence, they accuse the regime of intimidatory manoeuvres and repressive laws introduced since 2002 banning presence of foreign newspaper correspondents and forcing the main national daily, very critical of the president, to close.
In previous elections the opposition denounced fraud and intimidation. To respond to these accusations a new electoral law was introduced to render fraud more difficult. The opposition says the President has the advantage of controlling information and the media and recourse to food distribution to win votes.
What is more 3 million Zimbabweans abroad cannot vote and 30 of the 120 MPs will be appointed by the Head of State. Observers say the party in power is bound to win. It remains to be seen whether ZANU PF will obtain the two thirds majority necessary to alter the constitution without negotiating with the opposition. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 30/3/2005 righe 33 parole 376)
