President Robert Mugabe called the Zimbabwean opposition ”traitors” on Tuesday and accused opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai of running to the British ”like a puppy wagging its tail”.
As the tension increased before Thursday’s general election, Mugabe told 20 000 supporters that his party, Zanu-PF, will win a ”free and fair” contest with the MDC, whose leader he mocked as a ”big-headed man with no brain”.
”He runs to the British like a puppy wagging its tail, campaigning for sanctions and asking to be installed as leader,” he said at one of his biggest rallies since electioneering began a month ago.
Later, he declared that victory by the opposition party ”will not be tolerated”.
Reginald Matchaba-Hove, director of the Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network, said he is concerned about Mugabe’s remarks and has asked foreign observers to stay in the country for at least a week after polling for fear of renewed violence.
The opposition said on Tuesday that one of its supporters had been killed by Zanu-PF members: its first accusation of murder in the campaign.
The police denied that the crime was politically motivated.
The European Union dismissed the elections as ”phoney” on Tuesday, and said that it will take unspecified steps against Harare.
”As soon as these phoney elections have been held, I can commit myself to the fact that the issue of Zimbabwe will be on the [EU council of ministers’] agenda when we next meet,” the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, Nicholas Schmit, said.
On Sunday, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, called for a ”non-violent mass popular uprising” if Zanu-PF wins the general election by fraud.
On Tuesday, he said Mugabe’s comments revived ominous memories of moves against suspected opposition voters after previous elections.
”It may be quiet now, but we are not sure what will happen after these elections,” he said. ”You are dealing with people who bullied everyone into silence in the past.”
Voters will choose 120 members of Zimbabwe’s 150-seat Parliament. The president appoints the remaining 30 seats, so the MDC needs to win 76 seats for a majority.
Mugabe’s former information minister Jonathan Moyo told Reuters that the president’s remarks show that he is unable to accept a democratic opposition.
”[He] has an unfortunate habit of always accusing opponents of plotting a coup. That might demonstrate his attitude to the democratic process,” he said.
Moyo, who is standing as an independent in his home area, Tsholotsho, said Mugabe’s rhetoric shows that he is nervous about the outcome of the elections, which he described as too close to predict.
He hoped that voters will deny Zanu-PF the two-thirds parliamentary majority it is seeking, which will enable it to amend the Constitution and strengthen its grip on power.
Campaigning on Tuesday, Tsvangirai focused on the economy, as has been his party’s strategy throughout. Zimbabwe’s farms, industry, education and international relations have all been destroyed, he said, speaking in his home region, Buhera.
”How are we going to rebuild Zimbabwe? You and me have to work together,” he said.
Tuesday was expected to be the last day of campaigning, but electoral officials said additional rallies will be permitted on Wednesday. — Guardian Unlimited Â