/ 18 March 2013

Mugabe dodges EU travel ban to see the new pope

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe

The ban applies to the EU but not to the sovereign Vatican City.

Mugabe arrived amid controversy in Zimbabwe where police on Sunday arrested four of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's aides and a prominent human rights lawyer following a referendum that would curtail Mugabe's powers.

The 89-year-old Mugabe, who is a Catholic, visited the Vatican previously in 2011 for the beatification of late pope John Paul II.

In 2005, he attended John Paul II's funeral on a visit that drew controversy after Britain's Prince Charles shook hands with him. Pope Francis's inauguration mass in St Peter's Square will take place on Tuesday, with hundreds of thousands of faithful and world leaders expected.

Mugabe was widely condemned for human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Preliminary results indicated the referendum was approved, paving the way for fresh elections to decide whether Mugabe will stay on.

The new constitution would introduce presidential term limits and beef up Parliament's powers but could allow Mugabe to stay on for another decade if he won the elections.

Referendum
​Zimbabweans appeared to give widespread backing to the new constitution that would curb veteran Mugabe's powers.

A preliminary count of around half a million votes showed more than 90% of the population endorsed the draft constitution in Saturday's referendum, according to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party, the Movement for Democratic Change.

The proposed text would introduce presidential term limits, beef up Parliament's powers and pave the way for a general election that would decide whether 89-year-old Mugabe stays in power.

Mugabe has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, despite a series of disputed and violent polls and a severe economic crash propelled by hyper-inflation. – AFP