SW Radio Africa (London)
Tererai Karimakwenda
13 April 2011
The Mugabe regime is reported to have turned down an offer by the United Nations to fund and supervise elections, accusing the UN of taking the wrong side in the Ivory Coast conflict.
According to VOA Studio 7 news, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) approached Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa with the offer, but ZANU PF hardliners said it was “unacceptable”.
The report said ZANU PF accused the UN of siding with Alassane Outtara, accepted internationally as the winner in the Ivory Coast presidential elections, instead of the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, whom the party credited with fighting “the imperialist West.”
VOA quoted ZANU PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo as saying the party “is not comfortable with Western intervention”.
ZANU PF national chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo made similar comments this week, when he said his party would not allow funding of the elections by the European Union.
Addressing a bimonthly meeting of E.U. Heads of Missions in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, Khaya Moyo said it would be “very ironic” for ZANU-PF to allow the funding of elections by “a group of countries that have imposed illegal economic sanctions on our country and have refused to remove them”.
“We will not allow that development. When it comes to this issue, there’s no compromise and each one of us must carry their own cross,” he added.
Dr Lovemore Madhuku, chairperson of the National Constitutional Assembly, said the statements were made by ZANU PF officials who are supposed to be in a unity government with the MDC.
Madhuku explained that the MDC, as part of the inclusive government, has to also take responsibility for decisions made by government, regardless of who in that government has more power. He said it was not enough for the MDC to say the unity government is not working, but then stay with the arrangement.
“If we ultimately have the conclusion that says there will be no foreign funds accepted for the elections, then it ceases to be a ZANU PF position. It must be regarded as an inclusive government position,” he added.
In his address to the E.U. Heads of Missions, Khaya Moyo referred to the country’s expected polls as “the much anticipated elections we expect to hold this year”.
This clearly indicates that ZANU PF intends to go against the wishes of the MDC and civic groups in the country, who have said the atmosphere is not conducive to holding free and fair elections in 2011.
Unfortunately we were unable to get a comment on these issues from the MDC.
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