Mugabe 'preparing to be sworn in'

[jandajoy]

Robert Mugabe is expected to be sworn in as Zimbabwe's president on Sunday, following his victory in an election boycotted by the opposition candidate.
Government sources say Mr Mugabe has won by a huge margin in the vote, which has been widely condemned as a sham.
Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the election amid claims of violence and intimidation by government supporters.
US President George W Bush said he had ordered sanctions be drawn up against the "illegitimate" government.


The first and most important thing is for the people of Zimbabwe and their leadership to sit down and talk to each other, instead of talking at each other
Moses Watangula
Kenyan Foreign Minister



In a statement, Mr Bush said he had instructed his secretaries of state and the treasury to draw up sanctions. He added he would press for international action, including an arms embargo.
He said the move was in response to "the Mugabe regime's blatant disregard for the Zimbabwean people's democratic will and human rights".
Egypt conference
Election officials in Zimbabwe say that the vote count is now complete, and they hope to announce the result later on Saturday.
Reports from the country suggested there were a substantial number of spoiled ballots.
Zimbabwean journalist Brian Hungwe says that in some cases, voters expressed their anger against the violence by calling Mr Mugabe a murderer on the ballot papers. HAVE YOUR SAY If the UN doesn't intervene this time we are truly damned Rejoice, Bulawayo


He adds that in the opposition stronghold of Matabeleland, there were more spoiled papers than votes for Mr Mugabe.
Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), announced he was pulling out of the election on Sunday.
But his name remained on ballot papers after Zimbabwe's electoral authorities refused to accept his decision.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are continuing to try to find a solution to the crisis.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula has said sanctions against Zimbabwe are unlikely to work, and that Mr Mugabe and the opposition should instead be encouraged to talk.
He was speaking at a meeting of African Union foreign ministers in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheik, before a full meeting of heads of state on Monday which Mr Mugabe is expected to attend.
Mr Wetangula, whose own country recently went through a period of political violence before a power-sharing deal was brokered, told reporters: "History has shown us that they (sanctions) don't work because the leadership just dig in and dig in and feel persecuted.
"I think we need to engage Zimbabwe. The route of sanctions may not be the helpful one... the first and most important thing is for the people of Zimbabwe and their leadership to sit down and talk to each other, instead of talking at each other."
On Friday, the UN Security Council said it deeply regretted Zimbabwe's decision to go ahead with the presidential poll.
It said conditions for a free and fair election did not exist, but - after objections from South Africa - stopped short of saying it was illegitimate.
Western pressure The UN Security Council is expected to return to the issue of Zimbabwe in the coming days.


However, diplomats say that because of resistance from South Africa, China and Russia, the council is unlikely to impose sanctions.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network, a monitoring group, reported that people in most rural areas had been forced to vote in Friday's poll.
A Zimbabwean journalist said militias loyal to Mr Mugabe had gone door-to-door in townships outside the capital, Harare, to coerce people.
Despite the pressure, Marwick Khumalo, who heads of the Pan-African parliamentary observer mission, told the BBC that overall turnout had been low and the mood sombre.
Mr Mugabe came second to Mr Tsvangirai in the first round of the presidential vote in March.
Since then, the MDC says some 86 of its supporters have been killed and 200,000 forced from their homes by militias loyal to Zanu-PF.
The government blames the MDC for the violence.

Story from BBC NEWS:
BBC NEWS | Africa | Mugabe 'preparing to be sworn in'

Published: 2008/06/28 1616 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

The next can of worms..................

[bkkandrew]

I wish the headline was 'Mugabe preparing to be sworn at!'

[astasinim]

^
Or Mugabe dragged to through the streets and beaten to death following recent election.

[astasinim]

^
Or Whitey returns to take control of former colony.

[Butterfly]

the opposition did the right thing, even if they had won, he wouldn't leave

funny how their election commission is quick to give the results this time,

[Norton]

It looks like business as usual in Africa. African Union leaders are ignoring calls from the UN and other nations to put pressure on Mugabe to step down in the wake of the scam election. IMO, the reason is obvious. The leaders of most African nations have come to power in similar fashion to Mugabe. Fair elections in Africa are as rare as a virgin on walking street!

"Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe entered an African summit accompanied by the meeting's host Monday, a sign that African leaders won't shun him despite Western demands they take a tough stance over his re-election in a tainted ballot."

The Associated Press: No public criticism for Mugabe at African summit

[AntRobertson]

What a complete and utter farce of a situation. Made all the more shite by the fact that Zim is/was a beautiful country.

I was there circa 2004 and I remember getting $9,500 Zim dollars to the US$ on the blackmarket exchange rates. Two weeks later, when I left, it was at $12,500. Four years later and it's in the many hundreds of thousands.

[Norton]

^Average cost of a hamburger in Zimbabwe is 15,000,000. Will need a couple of these if you want one.

[AntRobertson]

^ I've still got a few hundred thousand of bearer cheques somewhere at home; 20 and 50k denominations. They'd already expired when I was there but were still being accepted.

Got a mint condition Z$1,000 bank note as well. Keeping it for sentimental reasons, couldn't buy anything with it anyways.

[Sir Burr]

Dunno why he even bothered holding an election. Why not be honest and declare a dictatorship.
Wonder who he thought he was kidding with an "election".

[Travelmate]

Oh well another tyrant having his ways

[Butterfly]

annual inflation is now 4000%

looks like he got a lot of support from the locals when he kicked out the white farmers,

haven't they learn ?

[AntRobertson]

looks like he got a lot of support from the locals when he kicked out the white farmers

Not neccesarily. A lot of the locals in the rural areas were employed - directly or indirectly - in farming and earnt their living from it. For others it was their entire livelihood, some even lived on the farms in especially built accomodation.

So when the farms were taken over by 'war vets' and the production and system collapsed many were left out of work, homeless and penniless.

[Terry SG]

The Guardian has an video showing vote rigging in the run-off election. Not the most shocking revelation, but still interesting to actually see it.

[Happyman]

The Guardian has an video showing vote rigging in the run-off election. Not the most shocking revelation, but still interesting to actually see it.

And when the bugger eventually "pops his clogs' the military will take over!
Burma Mk II

[Norton]

Burma Mk II

Coincidental you mention Burma. Just saw a Mid post stating the junta has announced it no longer recognizes the election of Aung Sui Key (spelling?).

Suppose Mugabe giving the finger to the world prompted this?

[bkkandrew]

^Quite. One Junta takes comfort from another's ability to get away with murder.