WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2002-10-02 Posted By: Jan
From the News Archives of: WWW.AfricanCrisis.Org
Date & Time Posted: 10/2/2002 5:30:33 PM
Zim: Opposition has lots to worry about
Johannesburg – The intimidation and apathy that marred Zimbabwe’s rural district council elections at the weekend also exposed the difficulty the opposition has in mounting an effective challenge to the government, political analysts told IRIN. The elections were held in 1,397 rural districts and 27 urban wards. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) only fielded 646 candidates, reportedly because of intimidation and bureaucratic hurdles which resulted in 700 ruling Zanu PF candidates being elected unopposed. In 86 wards that had declared by Monday evening, Zanu PF had won 72, the MDC 12 and two wards had gone to independent candidates, the state-run Herald newspaper reported. The rural results are expected to reflect an even larger Zanu PF victory. “The government of Zimbabwe, we think, did not take the necessary steps to ensure conditions for a fair and credible democratic election, and failed to ensure that all parties and candidates were able to participate; to condemn and punish election-related violence; and to follow transparent and equitable registration procedures for all candidates. So that’s the way it turned out,” US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Monday.
Brian Raftopoulos of the University of Zimbabwe’s Institute of Development Studies said that the government’s ability to prevent peaceful protest left the MDC “obviously in difficulty”. He said that since the crushing disappointment of the March presidential poll defeat, the MDC had tried to consolidate, improve its policy capacity and image, while preparing for the weekend’s elections. “The real achievement is that despite the government’s onslaught, it is still on the ground,” he told IRIN. Raftopoulos said that with peaceful avenues of legitimate opposition blocked, violent protest could be under consideration by elements within the party, “but the ground is exceedingly unpropitious”. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said in an interview in August with the South African newspaper The Mail & Guardian: “[More than] 80 percent of Zimbabweans want change. But we have to choose between violent and non-violent paths, the challenge being a young generation who believe it is time to think about armed struggle. We must be conscious that beyond this chaos, we’ll have to pick up the pieces.”
Tsvangirai and two MDC party officials were indicted on Monday on a charge of high treason related to an alleged plot to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, The Herald reported. Prosecutor Lawrence Phiri said the government was ready to commence trial on 11 November. According to Raftopoulos, Zanu PF’s real political victory has been to undermine “the sense of hope” in Zimbabwe. With no chance of meaningful dialogue between the ruling party and the MDC on the horizon, the only option for the opposition was to pursue a long-term strategy aimed at its survival as a viable political alternative.
Source:IRIN (UN)
Published:Tue 1-Oct-2002
URL: http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID…br>