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 20 August 2008 21:08 BST

Zimbabwe's election crisis

Sunday, 29 Jun 2008 00:00
Ruins in Zimbabwe reflect the country's decline

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Morgan Tsvangirai's failed challenge to Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe has left the international community up in arms.

He had been due to contest a second-round runoff with the much-vilified incumbent on June 27th but withdrew, claiming persecution of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters made the vote neither free nor fair.

The move ended hopes that Mr Mugabe would be forced to relinquish power through the ballot box, after a period of intense international attention on the state of the south African country.

It has suffered under an ongoing economic crisis for years largely because of Mr Mugabe's failed land reforms. To read up on background to the election crisis click here . Read on for a summary of how Mr Mugabe clung on to power.

A new hope

On March 29th Zimbabwe went to the polls to choose their new parliament and re-elect president Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980.

That, at least, was the script from Zanu-PF's point of view. Mr Mugabe was widely expected to breeze home through a mixture of his party's natural dominance and – according to the cynics – a little vote-rigging.

The following day saw the first indications of what was to follow. Zanu-PF's main challenger, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), claimed victory in the elections. Its supporters based their claim on unofficial counts of results published in polling stations across the country.

The Zimbabwe Election Commission remained silent as the world looked on. On April 6th Mr Mugabe requested a recount but it was not until April 13th that the election body ordered a partial recount.

Pressure builds

MDC supporters accused the president of clinging to power, a perception reflected by the international community's attacks on Mr Mugabe. The UK was especially vocal in its attacks on Mr Mugabe, with prime minister Gordon Brown telling Harare he was "appalled" by the "intimidation and violence" Mr Mugabe's "regime" appeared to be resorting to.

A legal challenge seeking the immediate release of results was brushed aside in the courts and it was only on April 20th that the recount finally began.

Six days later the results were in. No results were overturned as a result, but a second round was judged as being required in the presidential race. The MDC's candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, was revealed as having won 47.9 per cent of the national vote on May 2nd.

Mr Tsvangirai's backers described the result as "daylight robbery".

Violence and oppression

Those who feared Mr Mugabe would use intimidation on the streets to help secure a win in the runoff vote were to be proved correct in the coming weeks.

Mr Tsvangirai returned to fight the runoff on May 24th and a senior MDC figure, senator David Coltart, appeared optimistic five days later. He appeared to predict a major electoral victory for the challenger.

A campaign of repression targeting MDC activists followed. Mr Tsvangirai was arrested several times; a senior MDC official was detained on a treason charge, facing the death penalty; and by the last week of June nearly 90 people were estimated to have died in political violence.

Mr Mugabe's response was to dismiss the accusations as lies. He upped his anti-MDC rhetoric, hinting at the use of violence if his revolutionary changes were threatened. June 20th saw him stating at a rally: "The MDC will never be allowed to rule this country - never ever."

By June 22nd the MDC had had enough. Mr Tsvangirai said the outcome of the election is "determined by… Mugabe himself" after pressure from party members unable to cope with the one-sided contest. The following day saw Mr Tsvangirai seeking refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare, while appealing for negotiation with Zanu-PF.

Baffling commentators as he sought the rubber stamp of legitimacy, Mr Mugabe went ahead with the one-sided vote on June 27th. He took over 85 per cent of the vote, with over 400,000 Zimbabweans registering their protest by defacing the ballot paper. Two days later, however, their actions made no difference. Mr Mugabe was sworn in at his State House residence for another five years – and a sixth term in power.End of story


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