At the end of the meeting of Commonwealth leaders, an apparent compromise was reached to avoid immediately suspending Zimbabwe from the organization and imposing punitive sanctions against Robert Mugabe, the country's President, for human rights abuses and alleged vote-rigging.
However, the common front fell apart almost immediately. "We have postponed the day of judgment on Zimbabwe and I think that is the wrong thing to do," said Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister. "We should have provided a far stronger statement and backed it up with action."[End Excerpt]
The elections are run by a commission whose members are appointed by Mugabe, and for this election the commission abandoned its old practice of drawing some of the officials from non-governmental organizations.
Over the last two years Mugabe has filled key positions in his administration with former army officers. The Electoral Supervisory Committee is chaired by Sobuza Gula-Nbebele, a lawyer and a retired colonel, and the chief electoral officer is a former brigadier.
Mugabe's camp claimed a major diplomatic victory Monday when the 54-member Commonwealth decided not to slap sanctions on him. African states blocked attempts by Britain, Australia and New Zealand to do so.[End Excerpt]