Zimbabwe political terrorism continues for the numbers

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is forcing This Friday’s election on because he did not have the most votes in the March 29 elections. Without being the highest vote getter Mugabe may not survive a legal challenge that he is the elected president.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who pulled out of the contest against President Robert Mugabe because of attacks on his followers, said the vote was a sham and called for the African Union, backed by the United Nations, to lead a transition in Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai spoke at a press conference at his home after leaving the Dutch embassy where he took refuge after announcing the pull-out last Sunday. But he returned to the embassy later. There is no question Tsvangirai faces an assassination attempt as insurance should this Friday’s elections go against Mugabe.

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairman George Chiweshe said Tsvangirai’s withdrawal last Sunday had been filed too late to have any legal effect.

“Accordingly, the commission does not recognize the purported withdrawal. We are, therefore, proceeding with the presidential election run-off this Friday as planned.”

This however is a complete and total sham at this point, in fact it does not even qualify as politics. There is no excuse for what President Robert Mugabe is doing.  Pressure has mounted both inside and outside Africa to call off the vote since Tsvangirai withdrew. Mugabe, 84, is now certain to be elected to extend his 28-year rule.

Human rights organizations, Western powers and Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change accuse the veteran leader of launching a campaign of murder and intimidation after he and his ZANU-PF party lost elections on March 29.


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