Zimbabwe: Tension over election results - full text
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At talks held in South Africa, President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), on July 21 agreed to negotiate a power-sharing agreement, following the disputed victory of Mugabe in presidential elections held in two rounds in March and June.
The MDC asserted that government forces had continued to wage a
campaign of violence against its supporters even after the second round
of elections, while government officials denied the claims.
Immediate context
The incumbent President Mugabe won the second round of presidential elections held on June 27, but his sole challenger, Tsvangirai, had pulled out of the contest on June 22 after weeks of state-sponsored violence resulted in the deaths of more than 80 MDC supporters and the displacement of some 200,000 people.
Presidential and legislative elections were held on March 29, but no official winner of the presidential election was declared, and a process of recounting cast doubt on the final result of the legislative elections, apparently won by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). After a delay of more than a month, the state-appointed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced on May 2 that Morgan Tsvangirai had defeated Mugabe, but not by an outright majority and a second round run-off vote would be held.
Incumbent President Robert Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF had been accused by the opposition MDC of attempting to rig the election and of using delaying tactics to continue a campaign of intimidation of MDC supporters in an attempt to ensure clear victory if elections were to be re-run. Mugabe insisted that the MDC were agents of the UK, promoting a colonialist agenda hostile to the interests of ordinary Zimbabweans. Elections were held for the presidency, both houses of the legislature, and local offices. In the presidential poll, the three main candidates were Mugabe (head of government since independence from the UK in 1980 and president since 1987), Morgan Tsvangirai, candidate of the main opposition MDC, and Simba Makoni, a former ZANU-PF minister of finance and economic development.
During campaigning, opposition leaders complained of intimidation and vote-buying, unequal media coverage, a biased electoral commission, and serious anomalies in the demarcation of voting constituencies. Tsvangirai had fled Zimbabwe days after winning the election of March 29, choosing temporary exile because of fears he would be assassinated.
Reaction and outlook
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon gave his support to the negotiation deal, a spokesman saying that he "encourages all sides to engage, in good faith, in serious talks that
would lead to a lasting solution to the political crisis and address
the urgent economic and humanitarian needs of the Zimbabwean people", the Reuters news agency reported on July 21.
The Financial Times of June 24 had reported that the EU and the USA were “united” in saying that they would no longer recognise Mugabe’s government as legitimate and the BBC online news service reported on July 22 that the EU had extended sanctions against Mugabe.
On June 23 the UN Security Council had issued a presidential statement condemning “the campaign of violence against the political opposition” in Zimbabwe and further condemning the actions of the government of Zimbabwe that had “denied its political opponents the right to campaign freely”. However, Russia and China on July 11 had vetoed a motion in the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe. The Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin subsequentely hailed the July 21 deal as indicating that sanctions had not been needed.
Historical context
In 1889 the British South Africa Company (BSA) of UK explorer Cecil Rhodes was instructed to colonise the area that would eventually become Zimbabwe, the traditional home of the Shona people, also inhabited by Ndebele refugees from South Africa. By 1922 a white minority had settled in the region, crushed Ndebele resistance, and established an autonomous government. During the 1930s a black opposition movement rejecting minority rule was established. The Land Apportionment Act of 1930, which deprived black people of access to land, was especially resented. In 1953 the UK formed the Central African Federation, comprising Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi). The CAF collapsed in 1963 when Zambia and Malawi become independent. In 1965 the Prime Minister Ian Smith issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) under white minority rule. The movement for black majority rule is re-focused from opposing the colonial administration to attacking Ian Smith's regime, with the early 1970s seeing mass protests against Smith. A new constitution guaranteeing rights for the black population is agreed following UK-brokered talks in 1979. Full independence was gained in 1980 and Robert Mugabe became prime minister. In 1990 Mugabe was elected president and in 1992 his controversial land redistribution plan was approved by the legislature. Thousands of black veterans of the guerrilla war against the white minority regime in 2000 occupied 30 white-owned farms. The farm invasions precipitated growing social unrest and food shortages and became increasingly violent. In August 2000 the authorities began to remove black squatters from illegally occupied white-owned land. Unrest spread and a wave of violence was unleashed in April 2001 against opponents of Mugabe and in August 2001 against white farmers. A state of disaster was declared in April 2002 as food shortages threatened mass starvation. In December 2005 the UN emergency relief co-ordinator described Zimbabwe as being in a state of "meltdown", pointing to "the AIDS pandemic, the food insecurity, the total collapse in social services". A mass protest calling for reform in September 2006 was suppressed by riot police. The suppression of opponents of Mugabe intensified and reports in 2007 indicated that key opposition leaders had been arrested, then beaten and tortured by the authorities.
