frogwoman
Let them eat newts
what humanitarian interventions have been a success in the last ten years then, and produced a better life for the people who were "intervened"?
Is Mugabe going to nick the election?
- Thread starter Belushi
- Start date
what humanitarian interventions have been a success in the last ten years then, and produced a better life for the people who were "intervened"?
KeyboardJockey
Clowns to the Left of me
Sierra Leone?
Red Faction
Allez Les Rouges
Kosovo?
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
for some of the people, yes.
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
fair play i dont know much about sierra leone tho ...
Bob_the_lost
Elsewhere
The ones who were doing the raping and pillaging probably didn't do to well out of it if you want to look at it like that...
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
Nice one
... but also 
its very telling that so many refugees have fled the country before the elections ...
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
Hope your cousin is OK SS.
Red Faction
Allez Les Rouges
According to a report by the United Kingdom-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), sources within the ZEC centre said Mugabe had clearly lost the election to his opposition rival Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), polling only 20% of the vote. Mugabe was also said to trail Simba Makoni, a former Zanu-PF finance minister, who had garnered 28%.
Red Faction
Allez Les Rouges
Sources at the ZEC said rigging was under way aimed at giving Mugabe a 52% victory in the presidential race, and his party 111 of the 210 House of Assembly seats.
tiki
Penelope Keiths Daughter
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
Mugabe: Beginning of the end
Trevor Ncube: COMMENT
28 March 2008 09:13
The will of the suffering masses versus the gritty determination of Robert Mugabe to stay in power -- that, in a nutshell, is the contest taking place across Zimbabwe this weekend.
This time the people's yearning for freedom appears greater than any force, including Mugabe's desperation. It must be so. Change is in the air. Everywhere I go, people are saying: "It's our turn. Change!" On Saturday, it does not matter which side the heavyweights in Zanu-PF are on; the people, for once, have the power. We are our own heavyweights.
There is no doubt that were the people able to freely express themselves on Saturday this would be the end for Mugabe. The air is pregnant with great expectations for change. But Mugabe has a time-tested bag of tricks that could frustrate the will of the people once more. He must not be allowed to and those in our country as observers and journalists must keep their eyes peeled so that the era of hope is not frustrated.
Mugabe's campaign has lacked the energy and bombast of previous years. His most persuasive weapon, violence, has been relatively absent, largely because few are still prepared to maim and kill in his name. His message is tired and uninspiring, with no relevance to the wretched existence of many Zimbabweans. He can win this election only by rigging it.
There is no reason to vote for him. Official inflation is at a whopping 100 580%, while independent economists and the International Monetary Fund believe the figure is more than 300 000%. Unemployment is more than 80% and life expectancy is down to 37 years. Malnutrition and school dropouts have become common occurrences in a nation that once prided itself on being the breadbasket of the region and offering a world-class education.
It is not uncommon for people to go without electricity and water for up to six weeks. Fuel is cripplingly expensive, with very little around. A black market for basic commodities, such as mealie meal, salt, sugar, cooking oil, milk, beef and toothpaste, is thriving as price controls take their toll on manufacturers and retailers.
The rural areas, considered Mugabe's stronghold, have been worst affected by price controls and the acute shortage of basic commodities. Seed and fertiliser have been in short supply and Mother Nature has delivered two poor agricultural seasons in a row.
Mugabe is a victim of his own ill-advised policies -- he has limited resources to buy rural votes on a nationwide scale.
But there are still some who see him as a hero because they know no better. The preponderance of state media against a small but vibrant independent media also means that victims of government propaganda will vote for him, despite their personal circumstances.
Those in receipt of Mugabe's patronage in the military, police, traditional chiefs and government will work hard to deliver him victory so that they can continue looting. Some voters will succumb to the seductive effect of free tractors, computers, buses, combine harvesters and food. The huge salary hikes for public servants was also meant to purchase their support.
But many more will see Mugabe's latest acts of generosity for what they are -- desperate attempts to buy their votes. While accepting these gifts, they will realise that they will not change the economic fundamentals. People are tired of handouts and being made to depend on a manipulative president. They want their lives back, not self-serving gifts. Many Zimbabweans in the towns and rural areas have come to realise that Mugabe is the problem, not the solution. How, then, can he claim victory?
It is important to remember that rigging is not an event -- it is a process. For 10 years Mugabe has worked to create an uneven political playing field for the opposition. The process will climax on polling day, specifically in the counting of the ballots. The announcement by service chiefs that they will not accept any result other than a Mugabe victory is both a sign of panic in Mugabe's camp and an act of naked intimidation. But the people are likely to challenge this.
The last throw of the dice was the announcement that presidential results will be announced at a central command centre, while the rest of the votes will be counted and results announced from constituencies.
Announcing presidential results in the constituencies would rob Mugabe of a great rigging opportunity, hence the sudden directive. The few election observers on the ground and the opposition must resist this.
The last-minute decision to allow police into and around polling stations on the pretext of helping the old and infirm will also be abused to favour the incumbent. Only in January did Mugabe remove this piece of legislation as a concession during President Thabo Mbeki's mediation. That he now needs it shows how desperate he is.
Mugabe has ensured there are fewer urban than rural polling stations, which will see a repeat of the long queues during the last presidential election, with many urban voters unable to cast their votes. He has ignored opposition calls to rectify this. Yet rural voters might surprise him.
So often across Africa oppressive rulers standing in the way of change have been humiliated. Remember Malawi's Kamuzu Banda. And Kenneth Kaunda. And Polokwane, of course.
Apart from Mugabe's bottomless bag of rigging tricks, the only other hurdle in the way of hope and change is the fear that the two opposition candidates, Morgan Tsvangirai and Simba Makoni, might split the vote of hope and let Mugabe back in by default. The two men will require deep gifts of accommodation and consensus should this happen. They must give serious consideration to a united front, for this will be an expression of hope. But that is a debate for next week.
This week has the look and feel of the end for Mugabe. Even if his bag of tricks helps him temporarily subvert the will of the people, it will be the beginning of the end.
This time the people's yearning for freedom appears to be greater than any other force.
Trevor Ncube, a Zimbabwean, is proprietor of the Mail & Guardian
---
I hope to God he's right ...
Trevor Ncube: COMMENT
28 March 2008 09:13
The will of the suffering masses versus the gritty determination of Robert Mugabe to stay in power -- that, in a nutshell, is the contest taking place across Zimbabwe this weekend.
This time the people's yearning for freedom appears greater than any force, including Mugabe's desperation. It must be so. Change is in the air. Everywhere I go, people are saying: "It's our turn. Change!" On Saturday, it does not matter which side the heavyweights in Zanu-PF are on; the people, for once, have the power. We are our own heavyweights.
There is no doubt that were the people able to freely express themselves on Saturday this would be the end for Mugabe. The air is pregnant with great expectations for change. But Mugabe has a time-tested bag of tricks that could frustrate the will of the people once more. He must not be allowed to and those in our country as observers and journalists must keep their eyes peeled so that the era of hope is not frustrated.
Mugabe's campaign has lacked the energy and bombast of previous years. His most persuasive weapon, violence, has been relatively absent, largely because few are still prepared to maim and kill in his name. His message is tired and uninspiring, with no relevance to the wretched existence of many Zimbabweans. He can win this election only by rigging it.
There is no reason to vote for him. Official inflation is at a whopping 100 580%, while independent economists and the International Monetary Fund believe the figure is more than 300 000%. Unemployment is more than 80% and life expectancy is down to 37 years. Malnutrition and school dropouts have become common occurrences in a nation that once prided itself on being the breadbasket of the region and offering a world-class education.
It is not uncommon for people to go without electricity and water for up to six weeks. Fuel is cripplingly expensive, with very little around. A black market for basic commodities, such as mealie meal, salt, sugar, cooking oil, milk, beef and toothpaste, is thriving as price controls take their toll on manufacturers and retailers.
The rural areas, considered Mugabe's stronghold, have been worst affected by price controls and the acute shortage of basic commodities. Seed and fertiliser have been in short supply and Mother Nature has delivered two poor agricultural seasons in a row.
Mugabe is a victim of his own ill-advised policies -- he has limited resources to buy rural votes on a nationwide scale.
But there are still some who see him as a hero because they know no better. The preponderance of state media against a small but vibrant independent media also means that victims of government propaganda will vote for him, despite their personal circumstances.
Those in receipt of Mugabe's patronage in the military, police, traditional chiefs and government will work hard to deliver him victory so that they can continue looting. Some voters will succumb to the seductive effect of free tractors, computers, buses, combine harvesters and food. The huge salary hikes for public servants was also meant to purchase their support.
But many more will see Mugabe's latest acts of generosity for what they are -- desperate attempts to buy their votes. While accepting these gifts, they will realise that they will not change the economic fundamentals. People are tired of handouts and being made to depend on a manipulative president. They want their lives back, not self-serving gifts. Many Zimbabweans in the towns and rural areas have come to realise that Mugabe is the problem, not the solution. How, then, can he claim victory?
It is important to remember that rigging is not an event -- it is a process. For 10 years Mugabe has worked to create an uneven political playing field for the opposition. The process will climax on polling day, specifically in the counting of the ballots. The announcement by service chiefs that they will not accept any result other than a Mugabe victory is both a sign of panic in Mugabe's camp and an act of naked intimidation. But the people are likely to challenge this.
The last throw of the dice was the announcement that presidential results will be announced at a central command centre, while the rest of the votes will be counted and results announced from constituencies.
Announcing presidential results in the constituencies would rob Mugabe of a great rigging opportunity, hence the sudden directive. The few election observers on the ground and the opposition must resist this.
The last-minute decision to allow police into and around polling stations on the pretext of helping the old and infirm will also be abused to favour the incumbent. Only in January did Mugabe remove this piece of legislation as a concession during President Thabo Mbeki's mediation. That he now needs it shows how desperate he is.
Mugabe has ensured there are fewer urban than rural polling stations, which will see a repeat of the long queues during the last presidential election, with many urban voters unable to cast their votes. He has ignored opposition calls to rectify this. Yet rural voters might surprise him.
So often across Africa oppressive rulers standing in the way of change have been humiliated. Remember Malawi's Kamuzu Banda. And Kenneth Kaunda. And Polokwane, of course.
Apart from Mugabe's bottomless bag of rigging tricks, the only other hurdle in the way of hope and change is the fear that the two opposition candidates, Morgan Tsvangirai and Simba Makoni, might split the vote of hope and let Mugabe back in by default. The two men will require deep gifts of accommodation and consensus should this happen. They must give serious consideration to a united front, for this will be an expression of hope. But that is a debate for next week.
This week has the look and feel of the end for Mugabe. Even if his bag of tricks helps him temporarily subvert the will of the people, it will be the beginning of the end.
This time the people's yearning for freedom appears to be greater than any other force.
Trevor Ncube, a Zimbabwean, is proprietor of the Mail & Guardian
---
I hope to God he's right ...
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
covertly, of course
Red Faction
Allez Les Rouges
Parliamentary constituencies
MDC-Tsvangirai: 62
Zanu-PF: 64
Breakaway MDC faction: 5
Yet to declare: 79
off the beeb just now...
MDC-Tsvangirai: 62
Zanu-PF: 64
Breakaway MDC faction: 5
Yet to declare: 79
off the beeb just now...
Red Faction
Allez Les Rouges
Results according to MDC:
Morgan Tsvangirai, MDC: 60%
Robert Mugabe, Zanu-PF: 30%
MDC 99 parliamentary seats
Zanu-PF 96
Other opposition 15
Morgan Tsvangirai, MDC: 60%
Robert Mugabe, Zanu-PF: 30%
MDC 99 parliamentary seats
Zanu-PF 96
Other opposition 15
poster342002
PROPER leftwing socialist
We could well be looking at a "Burma scenario". Not so much like the recent crushed protests there - more like the intial seizure of absolute power by the sitting Junta when it ignored a clear defeat in elections (to Aung Sang) and opted to overturn the result and go for emergency rule.
KeyboardJockey
Clowns to the Left of me
That could be the case. We left the Zimbabweans a shit load of repressive colonial era and post UDI era legislation that Mugabe has just used and added to. A major mistake on the part of the UK.
waterloowelshy
Well-Known Member
Does anyone think he might be advised by the army to just dissapear to a country that would let him live out his old age with immunity. It may be the best result if he just takes a shed load of government money and does a runner to a country that will let him hide out. im hopeful that the delay in the results could be because he is organising an escape somewhere - but i think that may be optimistic thinking.
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
excellent stuff
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
poster342002
PROPER leftwing socialist
it's possible
Problem is that a junta of senior Army officers could easily continue to rule for long after his passing if he establishishes martial rule now.
Maurice Picarda
Actually, might as well flounce.
Blimey. He appears to be about to go quietly, according to the BBC.
frogwoman
Let them eat newts
According to opposition sources, anyway... Let's not get our hopes up.
seriously if this is true, it will be the best news i've ever heard ...
AnnO'Neemus
Is so vanilla
Hope you'll forgive the plug, but Al Jazeera is the only international broadcaster with a permanent presence in Zimbabwe:
http://english.aljaze era.net/English
Can be streamed or you can watch video packages online.
Also a channel on YouTube.com
http://www.you tube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish
I don't know if you can get it over Freeview or any satellite packages in UK at the moment?
http://english.aljaze era.net/English
Can be streamed or you can watch video packages online.
Also a channel on YouTube.com
http://www.you tube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish
I don't know if you can get it over Freeview or any satellite packages in UK at the moment?
good. might be the first positive thing bush has done in his life if he had anything to do with it ...
They wont have woken him up for this!
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