US: Zim vote a 'non-event'
2005-11-29 08:23
Special Report
A classical music presenter for the BBC has been arrested and is in custody in Zimbabwe.
Washington - The United States on Monday dismissed as a "non-event" Zimbabwe's election for a new upper house of parliament that produced a huge majority for the party of President Robert Mugabe.
McCormack said: "This was an election that was designed to elect people to an institution that has truly little legal significance.
"It was created by Mr Mugabe a few months ago as, in our view, a source of patronage for ruling party politicians.
"So in terms of democracy - and we talk about elections as being part of democracy - this was really a non-event."
Exercise in democracy
Zimbabwe officials said Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) won 86% of the 50 contested seats in an election that drew less than 30% turnout in most constituencies.
McCormack said judging by the turnout, "it doesn't seem as though the Zimbabwean people took these elections very seriously as well, as a real exercise in democracy".
Washington had pressed Zimbabwe to reform and had frozen the assets here of Mugabe and other politicians considered to be blocking the process.
It expanded the list last week to 128 people, from an original 77.
- AFP