Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe celebrated his election victory on Saturday by saying that he intends to stay in power until his 100th birthday. His opponents were left hoping that he must be half joking.
The exultant president also boasted that his victory sent a message to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but Zimbabwe’s opposition said voting fraud and intimidation invalidated the result.
By Saturday night, Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party had 74 of the 120 parliamentary seats up for election. When added to the 30 seats appointed by Mugabe, the ruling party has the two-thirds majority of the 150-seat House needed to alter the Constitution at will.
”This is a moment of victory for my party and the victory of my party translates itself into a victory for our country,” said Mugabe (81). Asked about his retirement plans, he added: ”When I am a century old.”
During the election, Mugabe appeared to be campaigning more against Blair than Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, whom he dismissed as a British puppet.
The president said on Saturday: ”I hope the result of the election has been an effective message. We have been at the receiving end of blows inflicted on us by Mr Blair, within the Commonwealth, within the European Union — getting the EU to impose sanctions on us, presenting an image that there is no rule of law, and that is false. We are very angry for that. But if he wants reconciliation, we are ready.”
The MDC won 40 seats, an independent candidate won one, and five seats remained undeclared on Saturday. The MDC held on to its city strongholds but its parliamentary minority will give it scant influence.
Tsvangirai claimed the vote was stolen.
”The people of Zimbabwe must defend their votes, their right to a free and a fair election,” he said. The party’s national executive was meeting on Saturday afternoon to determine how to respond to Mugabe’s victory. ”This election cannot be accepted as a reflection of Zimbabwe’s will.”
Tsvangirai cited the race in Manyame, 40km south-west of the capital, Harare, where Mugabe’s nephew was declared the winner. On Thursday night, election officials announced 14 812 people had voted; on Friday, they changed the total to 24 000 and said Mugabe’s nephew got more than 15 000 votes.
”Zanu-PF cheated and rigged,” Pius Ncube, Archbishop of Bulawayo, said. ”They threatened violence and withheld food from hungry people.”
Ncube called for a ”peaceful mass uprising against an unjust government”, but said no one is willing to lead such a revolt. ”This would be the time for a peaceful uprising, right now when people are disgusted with the election result. Somehow, the people are too scared.”
Lovemore Madhuku, leader of the National Constitutional Assembly, a leading civic group, also called for people to ”take to the streets”.
Others said the public is not ready for mass action.
”The feeling is sullen, disappointed, disaffected,” said Iden Wetherell, a journalist at the Zimbabwe Independent.
The British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, condemned the election as ”seriously flawed”, but South African observers said they met regional standards.
Mugabe made an effort to win endorsements from observers from Africa and other friendly countries. Relatively free campaigning was allowed in the last weeks before the vote, but after polling day the police returned to their oppressive form, brutally breaking up a prayer vigil in Harare by 257 members of Women of the Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) group.
Many of the women, some elderly and others carrying babies, required hospital treatment, according to Amnesty International.
Jenni Williams, Woza’s coordinator, urged the MDC to take action.
”If Morgan [Tsvangirai] really means that we must defend our vote, please can he set a good example and show us what to do and we will follow him.”
Williams, who has been arrested 18 times in recent years, said Tsvangirai and other MDC leaders must be willing to march and risk violence alongside their supporters.
The election result leaves Zimbabwe with Mugabe and his party firmly entrenched, controlling the executive, legislature, judiciary, police, army and state media.
The country’s economic and humanitarian crisis that has seen the economy decline by more than 40% is expected to continue as the president further tightens his iron grip on NGOs, notably human rights and civic groups.
A Bill giving the government the authority to close voluntary and charitable groups and outlawing foreign funding to those dealing with human rights and governance is expected to become law within weeks. — Guardian Unlimited Â