Mugabe’s one-man election condemned

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – African Union observers condemned Zimbabwe’s one-man election as undemocratic yesterday, intensifying pressure on Robert Mugabe as he faced his peers after a vote much of the world has dismissed as a farce.

Mugabe was attending an African summit in Egypt a day after being sworn in as president amid growing calls for the continent’s leaders to act to resolve the crisis which some fear could destabilise southern Africa. Monitors from Zimbabwe’s neighbours in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) also said the vote was undermined by violence and did not reflect the will of the people.Washington announced that it expected to finalise a package of sanctions against Mugabe’s regime in “a week or two” and urged African leaders to listen to their own election observers, warning the pan-African bloc’s credibility was at stake.”The vote fell short of the African Union’s standards of democratic elections,” the AU observers said in a statement issued in Harare as their leaders met in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.”The African Union observer mission is however encouraged that both parties have shown willingness to engage in constructive dialogue as a way forward for ensuring peace, stability and development in Zimbabwe,” they added.Some African leaders demanded tough action against Mugabe.Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga called for his suspension from the African Union until he allows a free and fair election.But the continent’s longest serving head of state, Gabonese President Omar Bongo, insisted that African leaders should accept Mugabe’s poll victory.”He was elected, he took an oath, and he is here with us, so he is president and we cannot ask him more,” Bongo told reporters.Mugabe (84) was sworn in for a sixth term after being declared the winner of Friday’s election run-off in a race boycotted by opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai because of deadly violence and voter intimidation.Nearly 90 of his followers were killed.The turnout was low despite people being threatened by ruling party militia members that there would be repercussions if they did not vote.There were 131 481 spoilt papers among the ballots cast.In a show of defiance, thousands also used their ballots to air their grievances.THE ANGER Marwick Khumalo, leader of the Pan-African Parliament observer mission, said “unpalatable messages were written on many of the spoilt ballots”.A Southern African Development Community observer said some comments included the word “stupid” written over the picture of Mugabe.”Some people wrote distasteful things …They were messages of anger,” the observer said.An African Union observer also said a significant number of voters “insulted Mugabe”.”We saw ballot papers with words that included ‘a***hole’ and ‘butcher’ … Some included ‘I’m hungry’.”With no consensus among the AU’s 53 member states on tough action against Mugabe, the bloc focused its efforts on pushing for a power-sharing arrangement between his Zanu-PF party and Tsvangirai’s MDC.”Both Zanu-PF and the MDC must work together and unite the country and its peoples behind efforts to find a common solution to their national problems,” the South African foreign ministry said.”In this regard Zanu-PF and the MDC must enter into negotiations which will lead to the formation of a transitional government that can extricate Zimbabwe from its current political challenges.”AU AT ODDS Apparently seeking to temper potential African hostility amid questions over whether his fellow leaders would refer to him as ‘Mr President’, Mugabe used his swearing-in to call for dialogue.”It is my hope that sooner rather than later, we shall as diverse political parties hold consultations towards such serious dialogue as will minimise our difference and enhance the area of unity and cooperation,” Mugabe said.On the summit sidelines, MDC spokesman George Sibotshiwe called for the AU to appoint a full-time envoy to Zimbabwe in a move that would effectively sideline South African President Thabo Mbeki’s much-criticised mediation efforts on behalf of the Southern African Development Community.Sibotshiwe said the crisis now had ramifications for the continent as a whole and was too big a task for Mbeki on his own.Conference sources said countries from east and west Africa wanted to take a strong stand but Mugabe’s neighbours in southern Africa were divided.Some of the summit leaders favour a power-sharing deal modelled on one that ended a bloody post-election crisis in Kenya this year.Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai say they are ready for African-sponsored talks although the issue of who would lead a unity government remains a possibly insuperable obstacle.Analysts believe Mugabe ignored international condemnation and went ahead with the vote so he could negotiate with Tsvangirai from a position of strength.Nampa-AFP-Reuters-ZGMonitors from Zimbabwe’s neighbours in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) also said the vote was undermined by violence and did not reflect the will of the people.Washington announced that it expected to finalise a package of sanctions against Mugabe’s regime in “a week or two” and urged African leaders to listen to their own election observers, warning the pan-African bloc’s credibility was at stake. “The vote fell short of the African Union’s standards of democratic elections,” the AU observers said in a statement issued in Harare as their leaders met in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.”The African Union observer mission is however encouraged that both parties have shown willingness to engage in constructive dialogue as a way forward for ensuring peace, stability and development in Zimbabwe,” they added.Some African leaders demanded tough action against Mugabe.Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga called for his suspension from the African Union until he allows a free and fair election.But the continent’s longest serving head of state, Gabonese President Omar Bongo, insisted that African leaders should accept Mugabe’s poll victory.”He was elected, he took an oath, and he is here with us, so he is president and we cannot ask him more,” Bongo told reporters.Mugabe (84) was sworn in for a sixth term after being declared the winner of Friday’s election run-off in a race boycotted by opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai because of deadly violence and voter intimidation.Nearly 90 of his followers were killed.The turnout was low despite people being threatened by ruling party militia members that there would be repercussions if they did not vote.There were 131 481 spoilt papers among the ballots cast.In a show of defiance, thousands also used their ballots to air their grievances.THE ANGER Marwick Khumalo, leader of the Pan-African Parliament observer mission, said “unpalatable messages were written on many of the spoilt ballots”.A Southern African Development Community observer said some comments included the word “stupid” written over the picture of Mugabe.”Some people wrote distasteful things …They were messages of anger,” the observer said.An African Union observer also said a significant number of voters “insulted Mugabe”.”We saw ballot papers with words that included ‘a***hole’ and ‘butcher’ … Some included ‘I’m hungry’.”With no consensus among the AU’s 53 member states on tough action against Mugabe, the bloc focused its efforts on pushing for a power-sharing arrangement between his Zanu-PF party and Tsvangirai’s MDC.”Both Zanu-PF and the MDC must work together and unite the country and its peoples behind efforts to find a common solution to their national problems,” the South African foreign ministry said.”In this regard Zanu-PF and the MDC must enter into negotiations which will lead to the formation of a transitional government that can extricate Zimbabwe from its current political challenges.”AU AT ODDS Apparently seeking to temper potential African hostility amid questions over whether his fellow leaders would refer to him as ‘Mr President’, Mugabe used his swearing-in to call for dialogue.”It is my hope that sooner rather than later, we shall as diverse political parties hold consultations towards such serious dialogue as will minimise our difference and enhance the area of unity and cooperation,” Mugabe said.On the summit sidelines, MDC spokesman George Sibotshiwe called for the AU to appoint a full-time envoy to Zimbabwe in a move that would effectively sideline South African President Thabo Mbeki’s much-criticised mediation efforts on behalf of the Southern African Development Community.Sibotshiwe said the crisis now had ramifications for the continent as a whole and was too big a task for Mbeki on his own.Conference sources said countries from east and west Africa wanted to take a strong stand but Mugabe’s neighbours in southern Africa were divided.Some of the summit leaders favour a power-sharing deal modelled on one that ended a bloody post-election crisis in Kenya this year.Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai say they are ready for African-sponsored talks although the issue of who would lead a unity government remains a possibly insuperable obstacle.Analysts believe Mugabe ignored international condemnation and went ahead with the vote so he could negotiate with Tsvangirai from a position of strength.Nampa-AFP-Reuters-ZG