Mugabe in bid to stop Bennett
17/03/2005 21:23  - (SA)  

Zim jailed MP remains in jail Zim jailed MP remains in jail Aus wants Bennett freed Aus wants Bennett freed Zim parly upholds jail sentence Zim parly upholds jail sentence Zim: Opposition MP arrested Zim: Opposition MP arrested

Zimbabwe Special Report  Latest Zimbabwe Stories

Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has vowed to appeal a decision by a new electoral court allowing a white opposition MP jailed for shoving a minister to contest this month's parliamentary vote, a daily said on Thursday.

In his first reaction to a judgment by the newly-created electoral court, Mugabe said he was puzzled by the ruling to allow Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) lawmaker Roy Bennett to run in the March 31 elections.

Bennett is serving a year-long jail sentence imposed by parliament last October for manhandling the justice minister during a heated debate on land seizures.

"I don't understand the court's decision. We will study the decision and appeal against it," the state-run Herald daily quoted Mugabe as telling supporters at an election rally in the eastern border town of Chipinge in Bennett's constituency.

"We can't be held to ransom by a man who is in prison. That is absolute nonsense," Mugabe was quoted as saying by the daily Herald.

"He has a case to answer," Mugabe added, urging his supporters to "proceed" with poll preparations "as if nothing happened".

"This time around we are determined to sweep every seat," said Mugabe, who wants his ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) party to take two-thirds of the seats in the upcoming polls.

The parliamentary vote will be closely watched as a test of Harare's commitment to hold free and fair polls.

The last two elections - a presidential ballot in 2002 and parliamentary vote in 2000 - were marred by violence and allegations of vote-rigging.

The tribunal on Tuesday ruled that Bennett, who last week lost a court bid to win early release ahead of the March 31 vote, could run for election while in prison.

It also ordered the vote in his Chimanimani constituency to be put off for a month.

Following the rejection of her husband's nomination papers, Bennett's wife Heather had earlier been accepted to represent him.

The MDC is reluctantly contesting the polls even though it says conditions on the ground will not ensure a fair and transparent ballot.

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