Zimbabwe: Voting extended

09/03/2002| IslamWeb

Chaos and queues summed up the first day of voting in the presidential elections in Zimbabwe, and they have got to do it all over again today. Last night voting had to be extended beyond the 7 p.m. deadline as thousands were still waiting to cast their ballots. Tonight's deadline is also set to be extended, while pressure is mounting on the government to consider a third day of polling.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said that voting might be extended beyond the 7 p.m. Sunday deadline.
"Everyone who wants to vote, will be allowed to vote. If it becomes necessary, we will consider extending the voting period," he said on Saturday.

Mugabe said when he voted on Saturday that there would be no other outcome but victory for him. He says Tsvangirai is a puppet of Britain which wants a change of guard in Zimbabwe to halt the redistribution of white-owned land.

Tsvangirai, who wants voting to be extended to Monday and Tuesday, was due to vote in Harare on Sunday, his 50th birthday.

No reliable opinion polls have been conducted. But many analysts say mismanagement of the economy, Mugabe's commitment of scarce resources to an unpopular war in the Democratic Republic of Congo and cronyism have shredded his support.

The MDC almost matched the ZANU-PF vote in a violent parliamentary election in June 2000. The electorate has risen to 5.6 million for the presidential election, but unless there is a turnout well above the 48 percent logged in 2000 analysts say Mugabe should win.

He is banking on overwhelming support in rural areas. The MDC says that will only happen if villagers cave in to intimidation from ZANU-PF activists.

The opposition claimed the chaos appeared to be a deliberate attempt by the ruling ZANU-PF party to prevent people from voting in an effort to hold on to power. Morgan Tsvangirai is the man leading the charge for the movement for democratic change. He appealed for calm among his supporters, although he also expressed concerns over the voting process.

Tsvangirai is the first person with a chance of unseating Mugabe since Zimbabwe won independence in 1980. Analysts predict a high turnout is bad news for Mugabe, with the majority of Zimbabweans fed up with his policies and mismanagement of the economy.

The delaying tactics have been described as the last kick of a dying horse.