Redstate

Again, as I've said before: do not imagine the early results reflect the final results in any way. The rural areas take the longest to count; they're where Mugabe has his strongholds; and they're also where fraud is easiest to perpetrate.

The confidence of the opposition is very good news, but "unofficial" tallies could be anything from actual counts to mere opposition table counts inside voting stations, which mean little in an election like this.

I really doubt Mugabe is going to let himself be levered from power in an election, unless South Africa has secretly arranged some sort of comfortable retirement for him. But I suppose anything's possible.

Joel Pollak
Guide to the Perplexed
http://guidetotheperplexed.blogspot.com

STATEMENT BY DIANNE KOHLER BARNARD, MP

DA SPOKESPERSON ON THE ZIMBABWE ELECTION

DA rejects SADC assessment of Zimbabwe election as “peaceful and credible”

Release, immediate: Monday, 31 March 2008

The slow release of election results in Zimbabwe following on the 29th March 2008 poll only serves to underscore the impression that efforts are being made to rig the result in favour of the ruling party.

It is clear from our observations on the ground as well as from our interactions with Zimbabwean civil society that any opposition victory would be an extraordinary accomplishment given how skewed the elections were in favour of ZANU-PF. In addition to this, the move by the SADC observer mission to label the elections as a “peaceful and credible expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe”, is both premature and without basis. The universally accepted standard for the assessment of any election is to determine whether it was both free and fair. In the case of this weekend’s poll, as has been the case in Zimbabwean elections since 2000, this standard was far from being attained.

As per our stated intention the DA will formally submit to the head of the SADC observer mission, Angolan Minister Jose Marcos Barrica, a report which details a number of critical factors which preclude assessment of the poll as having been genuinely democratic. The DA’s mandate was not to favour any particular political party, but rather to help determine whether the process was free and fair – which it was neither. Of the thirteen tenets contained within the SADC guidelines on the holding of elections – only two were complied with. The rest were violated as result of the following factors:

1. The fact that the organisation and administration of the elections was chaotic. There were 3 million extra ballots printed (it was rumoured that these had been or would be placed in key polling stations in urban areas by the Zimbabwean military);

2. The presence of police officers in polling stations, which precluded the poll being held in an environment that was free from intimidation. The very same police officers have been guilty of terrorising opposition supporters for the last eight years - including assaulting MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai;

3. Opposition political rallies were cancelled at the last minute.

4. The DA has documentary proof of violence and the torture of opposition members including hospital records. These were subsequently passed onto the to the SADC observer mission head;

5. The extensive use of state patronage, including the handing out of food, medical supplies etc., which occurred at ZANU PF rallies.

6. The state media coverage of the election, which was completely biased in favour of ZANU-PF.

7. Both the lack of accreditation for observers to monitor the counting of ballots, and the delayed announcement of election results have hindered proper scrutiny of the poll.

8. The threat by security chiefs to ignore an opposition victory has created the very real fear of a possible coup. When asked if action had been taken against the officials making this threat, ANC members of the SADC delegation laughed with amusement;

9. The immediate post-election environment has been characterised by fear and rumours. The delayed release of results and overall lack of information underscores the fear that vote rigging is taking place.

The DA will continue to object in the strongest possible terms to any report on the Zimbabwe election which fails to properly acknowledge these issues and is not reflective of the true situation in Zimbabwe. As the situation remains tense in the country, it is now more critical than ever that the South African government send the message that it will not accept any result which does not express the will of the Zimbabwean people.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Dianne Kohler Barnard, MP – 082 823 7047
Lindiwe Mazibuko – 072 805 2220

Joel Pollak
Guide to the Perplexed
http://guidetotheperplexed.blogspot.com

"I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place." - The last recorded words of Adam Smith.