Pooka
04-26-08, 05:09 AM
Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, appears unlikely to regain control of parliament in a partial vote recount as police crack down on members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters.
Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper on Saturday reported that seven more candidates had retained their seats after being recounted.
"I am still to receive the figures from the constituencies but nothing has changed as all the candidates have retained their seats," Utloile Silaigwana, deputy elections officer, said.
With 13 seat recounts already completed, Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF must win nine of the remaining 10 constituencies in order to win back parliament.
Meanwhile, around 300 people have been arrested after police in Zimbabwe raided the MDC headquarters in capital Harare.
'Unacceptable'
Tendai Biti, the MDC secretary-general, told Al Jazeera the raid was part of a government campaign against the opposition.
"It's a violent crackdown. They've arrested 360 people in our head office, about 300 of those people were already refugees fleeing violence and torture that is taking place in the countryside," he said.
"What is shocking at this present moment is that the UN Commission on Human Rights has not intervened in a situation that is clearly as unacceptable as it is heinous."
Jacob Zuma, the head of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) condemned the police raid, adding that it appeared "somebody is sabotaging the elections" there.
Zuma told the Associated Press in an interview on Friday in Paris that the raid made the country resemble a police state.
Police said the raid at the MDC headquarters targeted people who had sought refuge there after they "committed crimes" outside Harare.
"Some of them are not office workers at all. We are busy screening them. There are some cases we are investigating and we will release those who have not committed any crime," said Wayne Bvudzijena, a police spokesman.
Post-election crisis
Zimbabwe has been gripped by a post-electoral stalemate since polls last month.
No results have been announced for the March 29 presidential vote, while the outcome of a parliamentary poll which the MDC won, is also in doubt because of the partial recounts.
Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, has said he won the presidential election outright and has accused Mugabe of delaying results to rig victory and keep his 28-year hold on power.
The MDC and the main election observers - the Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network (ZESN) - both claim Tsvangirai won the poll, based on their own surveys of results posted at ballot stations.
Noel Kututwa, ZESN chairman, said police wanted to arrest him and Rindai Chipfunde-Vava, his deputy, but that both were away from the office at the time of the raid.
He said they were in hiding and accused police of trying to intimidate the group so it would be too weak to monitor a possible run-off.
"They said they were looking for subversive material likely to overthrow government using unconstitutional means," the Associated Press reported Kututwa as saying.
The opposition and independent religious and human rights groups have accused Mugabe's government of a violent crackdown since the polls.
Mugabe's officials have countered, also accusing the opposition of violence. The raids come a day after the US declared that Tsvangirai had won the presidential elections.
Speaking at an international trade fair in the opposition heartland of Bulawayo on Friday, Mugabe rejected foreign criticism of his country and defended his government's policy of seizing white-owned farms.
Source (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A03D59D0-0A87-4381-B5C7-1C789A7C1559.htm)
When are they going to get rid of this Vile Set Roman?
:newburn:
Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper on Saturday reported that seven more candidates had retained their seats after being recounted.
"I am still to receive the figures from the constituencies but nothing has changed as all the candidates have retained their seats," Utloile Silaigwana, deputy elections officer, said.
With 13 seat recounts already completed, Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF must win nine of the remaining 10 constituencies in order to win back parliament.
Meanwhile, around 300 people have been arrested after police in Zimbabwe raided the MDC headquarters in capital Harare.
'Unacceptable'
Tendai Biti, the MDC secretary-general, told Al Jazeera the raid was part of a government campaign against the opposition.
"It's a violent crackdown. They've arrested 360 people in our head office, about 300 of those people were already refugees fleeing violence and torture that is taking place in the countryside," he said.
"What is shocking at this present moment is that the UN Commission on Human Rights has not intervened in a situation that is clearly as unacceptable as it is heinous."
Jacob Zuma, the head of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) condemned the police raid, adding that it appeared "somebody is sabotaging the elections" there.
Zuma told the Associated Press in an interview on Friday in Paris that the raid made the country resemble a police state.
Police said the raid at the MDC headquarters targeted people who had sought refuge there after they "committed crimes" outside Harare.
"Some of them are not office workers at all. We are busy screening them. There are some cases we are investigating and we will release those who have not committed any crime," said Wayne Bvudzijena, a police spokesman.
Post-election crisis
Zimbabwe has been gripped by a post-electoral stalemate since polls last month.
No results have been announced for the March 29 presidential vote, while the outcome of a parliamentary poll which the MDC won, is also in doubt because of the partial recounts.
Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, has said he won the presidential election outright and has accused Mugabe of delaying results to rig victory and keep his 28-year hold on power.
The MDC and the main election observers - the Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network (ZESN) - both claim Tsvangirai won the poll, based on their own surveys of results posted at ballot stations.
Noel Kututwa, ZESN chairman, said police wanted to arrest him and Rindai Chipfunde-Vava, his deputy, but that both were away from the office at the time of the raid.
He said they were in hiding and accused police of trying to intimidate the group so it would be too weak to monitor a possible run-off.
"They said they were looking for subversive material likely to overthrow government using unconstitutional means," the Associated Press reported Kututwa as saying.
The opposition and independent religious and human rights groups have accused Mugabe's government of a violent crackdown since the polls.
Mugabe's officials have countered, also accusing the opposition of violence. The raids come a day after the US declared that Tsvangirai had won the presidential elections.
Speaking at an international trade fair in the opposition heartland of Bulawayo on Friday, Mugabe rejected foreign criticism of his country and defended his government's policy of seizing white-owned farms.
Source (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A03D59D0-0A87-4381-B5C7-1C789A7C1559.htm)
When are they going to get rid of this Vile Set Roman?
:newburn: