Can local push save Zimbabwe’s elections?
Yesterday, South African president
Thabo Mbeki met with the leaders of the clashing political parties in Zimbabwe,
Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. It is hoped that the local influence of
President Mbeki can mediate the conflict surrounding the country’s election
process.
Since the March 29th election, which Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change party won, there has been an escalating debate over the possibility of fair elections. Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party have been blamed for the violence and arrests surrounding election issues- including intimidation, violence against political activists, kidnappings, and killings. Several of the opposition party’s leaders have also been arrested. While the UN, along with several African leaders, has called on Robert Mugabe to cease these violent acts and ensure a fair election, Mugabe’s party has placed blame for the violence on the opposition.
On April 30th, the senate passed John Kerry’s resolution calling for Robert Mugabe to accept the election and step aside. It was co-sponsored by Senators Obama, Isakson, Coleman, Dodd, Clinton, Biden, Leahy, Cardin, Feingold, and Durbin. It called on Mugabe to accept the results of the March 29th election and begin the transition of power, and condemned Zimbabwe’s ruling party for manipulation of the political process and the use of excessive force. The full text of the resolution is available here: http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=296753
It remains to be seen whether the June 27th runoff election will run smoothly. Few are optimistic since the aftermath of the first election. Mugabe has even made statements that some have interpreted to mean he will hold onto power regardless of the election’s results. This is a difficult period for the people of Zimbabwe, and politics actions taken now may have a major impact on the region’s political precedent for years to come.
-- Frederic Jennings
Fred Jennings is Senior at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. He is majoring International Relations at the Elliott School. He also writes on international relations at his own blog at blog.simnatic.com.
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I’m so happy a lot to,international leader concerned with the Zimbabwe’s political situations which currently happening.i feel very bad about the last election incidents.i wish this should not happen in future.
@sharu
I think the one positive part of what’s going on there is that it’s really gotten international attention: the UN, AU, EU, and many countries have issued statements and positions on the issue and have shown a lot of support.
The depressing thing is that very little has actually been done. This isn’t the first time that Mugabe has essentially stolen an election, but it is the international community’s opportunity to make it his last.
If we don’t want this to happen in the future, it’s essential that we make it clear that this won’t be tolerated. Look for another blog post pretty soon on this topic. In the meantime, have a look at my main blog for other current events topics in international affairs.