|
'Zim vote won't be fair'
18/06/2008 14:01 - (SA)
Harare - President Thabo
Mbeki will meet Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe on Wednesday for talks
ahead of next week's presidential election run-off, Mbeki's
spokesperson said.
ANC president Jacob Zuma, using his
bluntest language to date over Zimbabwe's election, said he was
not expecting a fair vote.
"I think we'll be lucky if we have a free election," Zuma
told Reuters. When asked if he thought the vote would be fair,
Zuma replied "I don't think so."
Criticism
Mbeki has led regional mediation efforts in Zimbabwe's
increasingly violent crisis and has drawn criticism for his
diplomatic approach to Mugabe, who faces opposition challenger
Morgan Tsvangirai in the June 27 vote.
Mugabe's Zanu-PF is accused by the opposition, Western
countries and human rights groups of orchestrating a campaign of
violence ahead of the vote. The opposition says at least 66
people have been killed. Mugabe blames his opponents.
Mbeki's spokesperson, Mukoni Ratshitanga, told Reuters that
Mbeki would meet Mugabe on Wednesday. He said he did not know
what would be discussed at the meeting in Zimbabwe's
second-biggest city Bulawayo.
"I know that he's going to be meeting President Mugabe. I'm
not aware of any other meeting that he's going to have,"
Ratshitanga said.
Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald newspaper said Mbeki would
"discuss the forthcoming presidential election run-off and the
campaigns."
Zuma, who defeated Mbeki for the African National Congress
leadership last December, has taken a much tougher line on
Zimbabwe than Mbeki.
Movement for Democratic Change's (MDC) leader Tsvangirai won
a first round in March, but without enough votes to secure an
outright victory, official results showed.
The head of the Pan African Parliament observer mission,
Marwick Khumalo, said on Wednesday the group had heard
"horrendous" reports of violence, in contrast to the run-up to
the March election.
"It is unfortunate that violence has come up in this manner.
Instead of focusing on the smoothness of the electoral process
like what happened in March, violence has taken over," he told
reporters.
Britain and the United States urged Mugabe this week to
allow a broader international observer mission. Monitors from
countries critical of Mugabe have been banned from observing the
election.
- Reuters
|
News
