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Zim bars Western observers
07/03/2008 15:18 - (SA)
Harare - President Robert Mugabe's government has barred all leading Western nations from sending observer missions to monitor elections later this month, say reports.
The Herald newspaper said only the "European" country to have been invited was Russia. The list of 47 invited countries excluded the United States, all members of the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
"Clearly, those who believe that the only free and fair election, where the opposition wins, have been excluded since the ruling party (Zanu-PF) is poised to score yet another triumph," Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi was quoted as saying.
Presidential, parliamentary and local government elections were scheduled for March 29 with Mugabe, 84, seeking another term after nearly 28 years in power, and with the country in the midst of catastrophic economic ruin, marked by inflation of about 100 000%.
World's worst offenders
Already, independent local election watchdogs, churches and Western diplomats had warned of signs of deliberate cheating by state-run agencies controlling the poll. Recently, US ambassador James McGee said the indications for a free and fair election were "ominous".
Sudan, Iran, Venezuela, Ethiopia, China and Angola, all of which were among those regarded as the world's worst offenders against human rights, were among the countries invited to monitor polls.
All of Zimbabwe's Southern African neighbours had been invited, as well as African nations Algeria, Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda and Nigeria and Kenya, both of whose recent elections were denounced as rigged.
India, Malaysia and Indonesia - the latter two regarded by Mugabe as close allies - were also coming from the East, with Brazil, Nicaragua and Jamaica from South and Central America.
'Liberation movement'
The African Union, the North African Arab-speaking Maghreb bloc and the Non-aligned Movement were included on the list, while no mention was made of the Commonwealth, the loose alliance of Britain and its former colonies from which Zimbabwe was expelled in 2003.
The only Western presence permitted, according to Mumbengegwi, would be of ambassadors who were accredited to Zimbabwe. The Herald described the little-known New York-based on December 12 Movement as the only "liberation movement" to be invited.
Each of Mugabe's victories in national elections since 2000 had been dismissed by independent monitors as the result of violent intimidation, electoral and security laws that gave huge advantage to the ruling party and outright cheating.
In the last presidential elections in 2002, Swedish human rights figure Pierre Schori, then head of the European Union's observer mission, was deported and since then Zimbabwe's elections had been observed by a small group of selected governments.
"Our friends will observe us," said Mugabe last year. Sapa-dpa
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