----- Original Message -----
From: "Cian O'Connor" <cian_oconnor at yahoo.co.uk>
> Funny how when this sort of thing affects wealthy
> white farmers, the west
Huh, where'd you get this? Am I the west? What's your point, Cian?
> Some scepticism is in order.
No it's not. Open your eyes, and check the record of electoral theft; alternatively, provide some evidence that transcends "my enemy's enemy is my friend," which does you no credit.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network--mainly progressive human rights monitors--listed the following obvious pre-poll violations:
* disenfranchising voters through the voter registration process;
* registration of voters beyond 3 March 2002;
* "correcting" the voters' roll;
* control of voter education through the Electoral Supervisory Commission;
* drawing election supervisors and monitors from the Ministries of Defence, Home Affairs and Education;
* disallowing postal voting [i.e. preventing around a million votes from Zimbabweans abroad, which would have mainly gone to the MDC];
* constituency-based voting [i.e., preventing voters from casting their ballots no matter where they happen to be, within Zimbabwe];
* simultaneous holding of municipal and Presidential elections;
* restrictions concerning the accompanying of ballot boxes;
* printing of extra ballot papers;
* very restrictive and oppressive Public Order and Security Act;
* unequal access to the state controlled media, in particular the broadcast media, with a bias towards the ruling party;
* restrictions concerning both local and international observers;
* confiscation and destruction of identity cards by youths of the ruling party [i.e., thus preventing people from voting because an ID is required at the ballot box];
* establishment of illegal road blocks by youths of the ruling party;
* political violence, including torture and murders, largely perpetrated by ruling party supporters against members and supporters of the opposition;
* selective enforcement of the law by law enforcement agents.
Then on the days of the election, March 9 and 10, urban Zimbabweans were confronted by drastic cutbacks in polling stations, requiring many hours of queuing in the hot sun. Rural voters witnessed a systematic refusal by government to allow independent monitors near the booths, and opposition party electoral agents were unable to reach nearly half the stations, in part because of pro-Zanu thuggery. Across Zimbabwe, the government refused to abide by an urgent court order to extend voting for another day, opened only the polling booths in greater Harare (and five hours late at that), and then chased those still in long queues away at the end of the day.
Mugabe stole it, that's the only conclusion anyone can come to, whether or not they've been distracted by western observer missions, especially a US State Department crowd here in Southern Africa whose every bleating about Zimbabwe's election begets a sn-word. If you can keep your eye on the conditions faced by the masses of Zimbabweans, you'll not do useful-idioting for Muggers.