Zimbabweans will defend their victory, says Tsvangirai

Zimbabweans will defend their victory, says Tsvangirai
By George Chellah and Kingsley Kaswende in Harare, Zimbabwe
Saturday March 22, 2008 [12:00]

ZIMBABWEANS will defend their victory if the March 29 harmonised election is stolen, opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) president Morgan Tsvangirai has said. During a press conference at Harvest House - MDC headquarters - on Thursday, Tsvangirai said the countrywide campaigns were going on very well.

“The mood on the ground can only be showing a people’s victory and on March 29 nothing short of that will be in tandem with the people’s wishes,” he said.

Tsvangirai said Zimbabweans had chosen the ballot to resolve their national crisis.
“Come March 29, the people will defend their victory. Mugabe should keep his hands off the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission ZEC,” Tsvangirai said.

When asked to be clear on what he was urging his supporters to do if the MDC loses the elections, Tsvangirai, who was not specific responded: “The people will defend their victory. This is the people’s victory, which is being stolen in their eyes.”

Tsvangirai also said the forthcoming elections would not be free and fair.
“We have always stated that the current voters’ roll is in shambles. And we have a letter, the ZEC wrote to Fidelity Printers to print almost 600,000 postal votes, 600,000 postal votes for whom? And also it is said that we have 5.9 million registered voters and ZEC wants to print nine million ballot papers, for what? Tsvangirai asked.
He said ZANU-PF had disenfranchised the people in the diaspora.

“There is abuse of power. Mugabe has now issued an instrument to allow the police officers to be in polling stations.

We know that these will be intelligence officers Central Intelligence Organisation (CIOs), soldiers and ZANU-PF militias in police uniforms,” Tsvangirai said. “Mugabe as Commander-in-Chief has heard some of his senior officers publicly intimidating the people and he has been quiet. But we don’t believe that those comments by individuals resonate with the feelings of our armed forces.”

Asked whether the remaining period was enough to address all the opposition’s concerns, Tsvangirai answered:

“This election wouldn’t be free and fair we all agree with that. We were hoping that we would minimize the abuse. We need an audit of ballot papers, why print nine million papers when you have 5.9 million registered voters? These are technical issues but some of the issues we may have to resort to court action,” Tsvangirai explained.

“Yes, we have eight days to go, these are technical matters that need to be rectified. It doesn’t matter whether MDC wins or not, this election will not be free and fair. It’s far from the SADC norms and standards and ZEC is not an independent body.

You must also understand the extent that the state has abused ZEC.”
Tsvangirai also criticised the government’s decision to ban election observers from Western countries.

Zimbabwe has invited 47 regional and sub-regional organisations as well as nations from Asia, Africa, America not US and only one European country - Russia - to observe the March 29 elections.

Among those invited include all Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) member states alongside 10 other countries on the continent, which include Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Libya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan.
The five Asian countries that have also been invited are China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Iran, while the four American countries include Brazil, Jamaica, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Foreign affairs minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi has defended the decision stating that the observers were selected on the basis of reciprocity, objectivity and impartiality in their relationship with Zimbabwe.