The Herald (Harare), 3/20/02 SA House endorses presidential ballot result
CAPE TOWN - South Africa?s parliament yesterday approved a report by an observer team which found that the hotly disputed election result in Zimbabwe represented the will of the people. The National Assembly approved a motion that the vote, which put President Mugabe back in office for another six-year term after 22 years in power, "substantially" reflected the popular will. The parliamentary observer team had presented a report which described the election as "a credible statement of the will of the people" but stopped short of calling the May 9-11 vote free and fair. The report was endorsed by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which had a majority on the observer team, and the small United Democratic Movement (UDM). However, observers from opposition parties dissented from the report, and called on the House to recognise that the elections were not free and fair. Ruling party chief whip Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula criticised British Prime Minister Tony Blair for pre-judging the presidential poll by saying he would not accept President Mugabe?sre-election. "That was not only unfortunate, but also extremely dangerous coming as it did from the head of a former colonial power," she said. South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has yet to make a pronouncement on the election, was meeting yesterday with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Australian Prime Minister John Howard in London to make recommendations on Zimbabwe?s possible suspension from the Commonwealth. These troika talks follow a damning interim report by a Commonwealth observer team, which concluded that the poll was marred by violence, intimidation and dodgy electoral practices designed to benefit Cde Mugabe. AFP. ------------------------------------------- Macdonald Stainsby http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international "They are all Enron, we are all Argentina" --WEF protesters. ---- In the contradiction lies the hope. --Bertholt Brecht _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
