Zimbabwe moved closer to passing a contentious law that would restrict foreign funding of human rights groups, as President Robert Mugabe’s ruling party defeated filibusters by the opposition.
In a legislative session that stretched overnight on Tuesday, the majority Zanu-PF party voted down a series of last-minute amendments sought by the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
The defeat of the filibusters meant the Voluntary Organisations Bill will likely be passed when Parliament convenes again on Thursday.
Once approved, the Bill will be sent to Mugabe to be signed into law.
The widely criticised measure imposes strict controls on all forms of private associations and charities, including churches, and bans the receipt of foreign funding without state approval. No organisation with foreign links is permitted to deal with ”issues of governance or rights”.
Zimbabwe’s 80-year-old president has repeatedly accused Western-funded charities and rights groups of siding with his opponents. Opponents of the Bill have likened it to sweeping media laws passed in 2002 that gave the government the power to close independent news outlets and stifle criticism.
Sitting in an informal committee session on Tuesday, Zanu-PF lawmakers also defeated opposition attempts to hold up a Bill governing procedures for a parliamentary election scheduled for March.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, headed by veteran union leader Morgan Tsvangirai, has threatened to boycott the vote if election procedures are not reformed.
A party spokesperson said on Tuesday that the proposed Electoral Commission Bill in no way addresses opposition concerns about fairness, even though Zimbabwe agreed to adopt new democracy guidelines at a summit this year of the 13-nation Southern African Development Community.
”At the end of the day this commission just creates further confusion in the electoral process,” said MDC spokesperson David Coltart. ”Its chairman is directly appointed by Mugabe. It doesn’t even come close to applying the Southern African Development Community standards of impartiality for running elections.”
Mugabe, who has led the country since it achieved independence in 1980, has said polling procedure will not be radically overhauled.
Alleging intimidation and vote rigging, the opposition and international observers challenged the results of parliamentary elections in July 2000 and presidential polls in March 2002, in which Mugabe claimed victory.
His Zanu-PF party holds 98 of 150 seats in Parliament. Zimbabwe’s economy has gone into free fall since he ordered the seizure of 5 000 white-owned farms in February 2000. Up to 5,5-million people are dependent on food aid, inflation has topped 600%, and more than three million Zimbabweans have left for South Africa, Britain and North America in search of a better life. – Sapa-AP