[At least the American Govt knows the truth about Mugabe. At least it can clearly see that all the Black countries in Southern Africa, including South Africa, approve of Mugabe. Sadly… it is not doing much… considering that it once helped him into power. Jan]

The United States on Tuesday stuck to its assessment that Zimbabwe’s parliamentary elections last week were neither free nor fair, despite an endorsement by the African state’s neighbours.

State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher rejected the conclusions of an 11-country observer mission from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that the elections “reflected the will of the people”.

“I would have to ask them what they think their basis is for saying that,” Boucher said. “We’ve put out what we think is the basis for viewing this election as seriously tainted and not free and fair.”

The vote, which produced a massive victory for President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party, went off relatively peacefully. But Boucher said the campaign was tilted toward the government and post-election signs of fraud are mounting.

“The build-up to the election was tainted by restrictions on the media and the highly charged atmosphere against the opposition,” he said.

“And unfortunately, as they got to the vote-counting they seem to have distorted the process further, and the opposition is making a lot of charges now that there was all kinds of different fraud.”

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called on all sides to hold a constructive dialogue to “build a climate of confidence” in Zimbabwe.

Zim police deployed against protesters
Meanwhile, reports Michael Hartnack in Harare, an opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) lawmaker was arrested on Tuesday over protests against the outcome of the elections.

The announcement came as farmers disappointed by low prices for their crops forced the early closure of the first day of Zimbabwe’s annual tobacco sales.

Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena announced the arrest of MDC legislator Nelson Chamisa, the newly re-elected representative of the Harare suburb of Kuwadzana, on state radio.

Two youths were also detained for participating in a brief demonstration in Harare on Monday. Bvudzijena said five shops and a bank had been stoned during the protest.

“Police have assured the nation they will remain alert to ensure law and order in the country in the face of threats by the opposition to bring a reign of terror,” Bvudzijena said.

Opposition spokesperson Paul Themba Nyati was not aware of the arrests, and no further details were immediately available.

Several hundred opposition supporters ran through downtown Harare scattering leaflets on Monday, calling for mass protests against the outcome of Thursday’s poll. Police deployed on rooftops and set up roadblocks at dawn on Tuesday to prevent further demonstrations.

Mugabe’s Zanu-PF claimed 78 of Parliament’s 120 elected seats, compared with 41 for the MDC. Mugabe’s dismissed information minister, Jonathan Moyo, also picked up a seat on an independent ticket.

Mugabe appoints 30 additional lawmakers, giving his party the two-thirds majority he sought to secure his nearly 25-year rule and amend the Constitution at will.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has demanded a revote, saying huge inconsistencies in the results pointed to ballot stuffing.

Rising prices
Since last week’s poll, bread and maize meal have disappeared from Harare stores. The price of sugar, cooking oil and other basic commodities has surged by at least 25%, the state-run Herald newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Commerce Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi blamed the developments on panic buying and accused shop owners of profiteering. He pledged the nation will not run out of food or fuel.

Meanwhile, noisy demonstrations broke out at the tobacco sales, where prices dropped sharply from last year’s average. Police were not called, but the sales were cut short, said Rodney Ambrose of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association.

Just 70 of the 500 bales on offer were sold.

“It was not really too good a start at all,” Ambrose said.

This year’s 64-million-kilogram crop was less than a quarter of that produced at its peak in the 1990s, when tobacco accounted for a quarter of Zimbabwe’s export earnings. — Sapa-AP, Sapa-AFP

Source: Daily Mail & Guardian
URL: http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/zi…/p>