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/ 28 January 2008
The Zimbabwe government on Monday slapped down opposition demands for a new constitution to be adopted before a March general election, saying it would only be put to a referendum after the polls. Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told the state-run <i>Herald</i> newspaper that "the state was not in a hurry to craft a new constitution".
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/ 25 January 2008
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party described a decision on Friday by President Robert Mugabe to call general elections for March 29 an "act of madness", but stopped short of calling for a boycott. "It’s an act of madness and arrogance," Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said.
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/ 30 December 2007
Bare supermarket shelves, bank queues and burst riverbanks — for many Zimbabweans a bad year ended in a bad way. At least 27 Zimbabweans died in floods this month while thousands have spent precious holiday days in bank queues, waiting for scarce cash.
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/ 27 December 2007
After a year which saw the official inflation rate surge to 8 000%, shelves run dry and opposition leaders beaten up, few people in Zimbabwe can wait to see the back of 2007. While President Robert Mugabe hopes to secure a seventh term of office in elections next year, he is unlikely to trade heavily on his government’s recent economic performance.
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/ 18 December 2007
President Robert Mugabe’s government has amended security and media laws that critics say have helped him entrench his rule. The changes to the Public Order and Security Act were agreed at talks, brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki, between Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party and two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
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/ 24 October 2007
Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said it had secured a promise from the government on Wednesday to investigate charges of escalating violence against their supporters. After a meeting with Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, senior MDC figures said they had been assured they were not regarded as ”enemies”.
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/ 24 October 2007
Zimbabwe’s central bank chief pledged on Wednesday that empty shop shelves would soon be replenished as he denounced the ”anarchy” inspired by the government’s order for retailers to slash their prices in half. Gideon Gono said the availability of goods was improving after widespread shortages that he acknowledged were sparked by the blitz.
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/ 24 October 2007
Zimbabwe’s crisis has now reached the tipping point, a spokesperson for the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change warned on Tuesday as a local consumer watchdog said the cost of living had climbed 30% in a month. Most basics are now only available on the expensive black market.
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/ 16 October 2007
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party said on Tuesday that President Robert Mugabe’s government was escalating a violent crackdown against its members. Nelson Chamisa, spokesperson for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), told journalists it was worried by increased cases of violence against its supporters.
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/ 16 October 2007
Zimbabwe’s main opposition on Monday accused President Robert Mugabe’s party of treating with disdain key talks by mounting a crackdown on its supporters. ”We continue to receive disturbing reports from across the country of violence against our supporters,” said Nelson Chamisa, the spokesperson for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
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/ 23 September 2007
Zimbabwe’s divided opposition was pressured by international mediators into accepting the framework for next year’s elections in a move that will likely condemn it to defeat, according to analysts. The Movement for Democratic Change made a surprise U-turn last week and voted for the legislation.
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/ 6 September 2007
Zimbabwe’s failing economy and collapsing services have provided an environment ripe for graft, with the impoverished country’s woes facilitating an ever-worsening slide towards corruption. Despite setting up a local graft-busting body in 2004, Zimbabwe appears to be losing the battle against corruption, according to a leading watchdog.