UN declares fair presidential vote impossible
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - June 24, 2008 The 15-nation council Monday unanimously said it "condemns the
campaign of violence against the political opposition ahead of the
second round of presidential elections," which has resulted in the
killing of scores of opposition activists and other Zimbabweans.
The move came after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew
from the vote - reportedly fearing for his safety - and police
raided his Harare headquarters, hustling away dozens of his
supporters.
George Sibotshiwe, a spokesman for Tsvangirai, said the
politician had received a tip that soldiers were on the way to his
home Sunday, after he had announced he was pulling out of the
runoff scheduled for Friday.
Sibotshiwe would not reveal the source of the tip and said the
soldiers' intentions were unclear. But "the moment you have
soldiers coming your way, you just run for your life," Sibotshiwe
said. "The only way he can protect himself is to go to an
embassy."
Sibotshiwe said other opposition leaders were also in hiding,
among them Tsvangirai's campaign manager. Officials were no longer
working out of the party's headquarters in Harare for fear of
arrest, he said.
Tsvangirai's second in command, Tendai Biti, is jailed in
Zimbabwe on treason charges, which can carry the death penalty.
Tsvangirai told Dutch national broadcaster NOS radio Tuesday
that the Dutch ambassador had spoken to the Zimbabwean government
and received assurances there was no threat to him. Tsvangirai said
he might leave the embassy Tuesday or Wednesday, but Sibotshiwe
said that could change.
"It's an unsure environment. You just never know what's going
to happen tomorrow," Sibotshiwe said, adding he was concerned
Mugabe would crack down even more in reaction to strong criticism
from the U.N. Security Council.
Recent bloodshed widely blamed on supporters of Mugabe has
killed dozens of opposition activists and other Zimbabweans.
The non-binding presidential statement was the Security
Council's first formal action on Zimbabwe's political and
humanitarian crises. Council members also agreed that the violence
and restrictions on opposition activists imposed by the Mugabe
government "have made it impossible for a free and fair election
to take place" on Friday.
The 84-year-old Mugabe and United Nations Zimbabwean Ambassador
Boniface Chidyausiku pledged to press ahead with Friday's vote,
despite the international criticism and the lack of opposition.
Tsvangirai said the election was rigged and his supporters face
too much violence for him to keep running. He won the first round
of voting on March 29, but lacked an outright majority against
Mugabe.
"There has been too much violence, too much intimidation,"
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon told a brief news conference,
and a runoff "would only deepen divisions within the country and
produce a result that cannot be credible."
Ban said he was working with South Africa and the African Union
to find a solution. Dumisani Kumalo, South Africa's ambassador to
the U.N., told reporters that it should be left up to the
Zimbabweans to decide whether to delay Friday's voting or to revert
to the earlier result and consider Tsvangirai the interim
president.
Most of the council's negotiations were conducted privately.
Members met openly for less than a half-hour to get an update on
what is happening from U.N. Undersecretary-General for Political
Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe.
He said ample evidence shows Mugabe's government is waging a
"widespread campaign of retaliation and threat" and spreading
"fear, hostility and attacks" against its opponents.
Mugabe's government is no longer capable of holding a legitimate
election, Pascoe told the council, and Mugabe's plan to push ahead
with a runoff Friday "would only increase divisions and produce
discredited results."
Already, tens of thousands of Zimbabweans have been uprooted
from their homes and 85 people have died in election violence,
human rights groups say. Tsvangirai has repeatedly been detained by
police and contended with warnings of a state-sponsored
assassination plot. His top deputy was arrested on treason charges
that carry the death penalty.
The U.S., Britain, France and other Western powers tried but
failed to include language asserting that Tsvangirai should be
considered the legitimate president, until another fair election
can be held.
They faced opposition mainly from South Africa and China,
Zimbabwe's biggest trading partners, and from Russia, which had
previously opposed discussions on Zimbabwe. The all-day discussions
on the various drafts extended into the evening.
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On the Net:
U.N. Security Council: http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/