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New Laws Give President Mugabe Sweeping Powers (Election laws) Illegal to criticize Mugabe
dailynews.yahoo.com ^ | January 11, 2002 | Lewis Machipisa, Inter Press Service

Posted on 01/11/2002 5:01:12 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife

HARARE, Jan 10 (IPS) - Zimbabwe's Parliament Thursday passed two controversial bills, which critics say will give President Robert Mugabe sweeping powers to clampdown on the opposition ahead of the March presidential elections.

Opposition legislators immediately described the passing of the bills as ''evil'' and even sought divine intervention when they held a loud prayer for Zimbabwe to be ''delivered from the hand of catastrophe''.

But there was no divine help. Sitting as a majority, the ruling party legislators passed the Public Order and Security Bill (POSB) and the General Laws Amendment Bill.

The Public Order and Security Bill replaces the colonial Law and Order Maintenance Act, a 1960s law made to repress black nationalists.

Though designed to curtail acts of insurgency, banditry, sabotage and terrorism, Brian Raftopplous, a political analyst, says the bill is ''equally draconian as the one it seeks to replace.''

The bills were passed as Army generals Wednesday vowed that they will not recognize the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, should he win the March presidential elections.

Tsvangirai Thursday described the statement as unfortunate and said the army had announced a ''de facto coup''.

In a statement, the Movement for Democratic Change said ''for an army lawfully constituted in terms of the constitution of Zimbabwe to consider overthrowing that constitution ... is not only dangerous, but is by all intents and purposes a treasonous act.

''The (army) statement ... is a sign of panic by (the ruling) ZANU-PF and exposes once again Mugabe's contempt for the democratic process and the Zimbabwe constitution. This is a desperate attempt at intimidation by an increasingly desperate and despotic regime,'' said Welshman Ncube, MDC secretary general.

The army's statement came only a few days after all uniformed forces were awarded a 100-percent salary increment.

The Security bill makes it illegal to criticize President Mugabe who has ruled the southern African country for 21 years.

The bill also bans public gatherings and demonstrations and gives the police excessive powers to arrest and detain perceived opponents.

It also demands that citizens carry national identity cards on their person, a requirement strikingly similar to the colonial period.

Changes to the Electoral Act under the General Laws Amendment Bill will result in millions of Zimbabweans living in neighboring countries being prevented from voting.

For one to be registered as a voter, one would need to show proof that he or she has lived in a constituency for a continuous period of 12 months.

The changes to Electoral Act also will see postal votes being banned. Only staff in Zimbabwe embassies abroad and soldiers serving outside the country would be allowed to send postal votes.

No independent election monitors will be allowed: that role will be played by handpicked civil servants.

By passing the General Laws Amendment Bill (electoral laws) the ruling party rescinded Tuesday's shock defeat in Parliament when opposition who were in the majority at the time of voting rejected the bill. The ruling party has 36 majority in Parliament.

On Thursday, the ruling party legislators regrouped and overturned Tuesday's ruling despite objections by the main opposition party, that under parliamentary regulations, a defeated bill can only be reintroduced in the next session of parliament later in the year.

Learnmore Jongwe, spokesperson of the MDC, says the bill will undermine free and fair presidential elections in March, as only government employees will be used as election monitors.

Next Tuesday, Parliament will convene to introduce a third bill pushing for tight controls on the media. Journalist unions say the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill is harsh piece of legislation which will curtail the freedom of the press.

Britain's International Development Secretary, Clare Short, has described the current state of political affairs in Zimbabwe as ''a tragedy of enormous proportions''.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
January 11, 2002 Christian Science Monitor More Light on Zimbabwe [Full Text] While American TV networks clamor to have cameras at the trial of accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui, journalists in Africa are wondering if they can cover anything at all about a pivotal election in Zimbabwe.

Were it to be held openly, the vote in March might see the political end of the increasingly authoritative president, Robert Mugabe.

He's so worried about foreign pressure being generated by coverage of his hard-ball tactics against a popular opposition that he's ramming through draconian security laws, including curbs on the press.

Under one measure, any journalist could be jailed for criticizing the president. Foreign journalists will not be allowed even to be accredited. Other restrictions represent just the latest blame-the-messenger tactic that's helping Mr. Mugabe stay in power and avoid blame for ruining the economy of a naturally rich nation.

The press in much of Africa, of course, is restricted, but Mugabe's actions are watched closely in case they are imitated in South Africa. If Zimbabwe falls into chaos or civil war, it could easily destabilize its neighbor. As it is, the Zimbabwe crisis has already contributed to a massive devaluation of the South African currency.

Helping Africa learn the value of conducting peaceful democratic transitions requires the basic element of maintaining a free press. Arresting or beating up journalists, as has occurred under Mugabe, is no way to promote democracy, let alone stability.

Zimbabwe should scrap its curbs on the press. [End]

_________________________

(September 10, 2001) White's land siezed-- Gadaafi to supplying Mugabe with death squads for elections --- In effect Gadaafi seems to be making a bid to save Mugabe which, if successful, would create a virtual Libyan client state at the far end of Africa. Already there is evidence of direct Libyan involvement in the violence which racked Zimbabwean farms in the last ten days.

1 posted on 01/11/2002 5:01:12 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
mccain style election reform.
2 posted on 01/11/2002 5:12:32 AM PST by Rustynailww
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To: Rustynailww
Hugo Chavez is taking Venezuela down the same path
3 posted on 01/11/2002 5:19:21 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Rustynailww
"Helping Africa learn the value of conducting peaceful democratic transitions requires the basic element of maintaining a free press.
Arresting or beating up journalists, as has occurred under Mugabe, is no way to promote democracy, let alone stability. "

n free elections; so, we should send ny times, la times, n washington post people; jimma cotter, n swill klinton over there....
insuring a safe, free, n "democratic election"....
the "democrats" always win in zimbabwee....the army "assures it......"

4 posted on 01/11/2002 5:30:38 AM PST by hoot2
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"Hugo Chavez is taking Venezuela down the same path "

when the mexicans take over kalifornia; will the "nationale guard" supervise the elections?

5 posted on 01/11/2002 5:32:57 AM PST by hoot2
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To: hoot2
No. Japanese bureaucrats.
6 posted on 01/11/2002 5:48:47 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Where o Where is Koffi Anaan and Mary Robinson the purveyers of peace and Racial Tranquility when you need 'em.

They sure don't seem to be doing anything for the White people being Murdered by the Government approved Thugs in Zimbawbe.

Where is the Outcry from the Liberal left in the U.S.A.

7 posted on 01/11/2002 5:54:28 AM PST by chatham
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To: hoot2
when the mexicans take over kalifornia; will the "nationale guard" supervise the elections?

Hopefully, they'll vote the LIBERALS out of office.

8 posted on 01/12/2002 1:34:21 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: chatham
EU warns Zimbabwe of sanctions -Zimbabwean army will only accept Mugabe victory-- South Africa's Nobel peace laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said he was "deeply saddened" by events in Zimbabwe. "I really feel ashamed in many ways because he (Mugabe) used to be such a splendid leader," he told BBC radio from Cape Town.

On the slippery slope to dictatorship --[Excerpt] A third law still before parliament would forbid non-Zimbabweans from working as journalists in the country and require local journalists to acquire yearly accreditation from the Government.

Mounting international outcry has done little to sway Mr Mugabe from his repressive course. The United States has already imposed limited sanctions against the country's leaders and the European Union, which met late last week with Zimbabwean representatives, is on the verge of taking action of its own.

The Government, however, twists every criticism by a foreign power into evidence of the growing white, colonialist conspiracy against Zimbabwe. [End Excerpt]

9 posted on 01/12/2002 1:39:59 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife, potpan
No independent election monitors will be allowed: that role will be played by handpicked civil servants.

This is reassuring... They might as well tell us the result of the March election now.
10 posted on 01/12/2002 1:45:03 AM PST by jjbrouwer
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To: jjbrouwer
I do believe they have. Election?! They don't want one.
11 posted on 01/12/2002 2:05:46 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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