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Zim polls 'free for everyone'
20/03/2008 16:31 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Zimbabwe's ambassador to South Africa, Simon Khaya Moyo, on Thursday assured that general elections in his country on May 29 would be "free and fair for everybody".
"Things are all in place, the country is so peaceful. Political parties are conducting themselves exceedingly well, carrying out their rallies, their campaign," he told foreign journalists in Johannesburg.
"We believe that the election will be free and fair for everybody. Of course this is to the chagrin of our detractors led by London and Washington who have wished chaos ... That won't happen. We are going to continue with this peaceful atmosphere."
To be elected in one round of the presidential, parliamentary and local elections, he said a candidate must receive the majority of votes.
"You must get (the majority) of the vote. If not, there must be a re-run in three weeks time. That is what the law says."
Land redistribution programme
Four candidates were in the running for the presidency: head of state Robert Mugabe, who was seeking a sixth term in office; his former finance minister Simba Makoni; opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and a newcomer to the political scene, Langton Toungana.
If 84-year-old Mugabe, in power since independence of the former Rhodesia from Britain, is re-elected, his controversial land redistribution programme, which saw the departure of some 4 000 white farmers since 2000, would continue, said Moyo.
"The land reform programme is irreversible," Moyo said, adding "the situation in Zimbabwe is most unfortunate because this matter could be handled very differently" if the British Labour party government had agreed to pay for land as outlined by the 1979 Lancaster House agreement, which ended the independence war.
He justified Harare's refusal to accredit British and American election observers by the fact that "pronouncements have already been made by these respective administrations that Zimbabwe can't ever have free and fair elections unless the opposition wins".
Moyo also welcomed mediation efforts by President Thabo Mbeki between the ruling party and opposition.
"The mediation to us has been a tremendous success because the agenda was completed except for one item: the draft of the Constitution, which must be subjected to the people after the elections naturally. Let them make their inputs. It can take a year, it can take whatever."
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