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MDC plans mass action
The Zimbabwean
April 12, 2008

View this story on The Zimbabwean website

Zimbabwe's main opposition party has called for crippling mass protests aimed at forcing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to announce presidential election results, with party insiders saying the mass action could kick off on Tuesday.

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) officials said the decision was reached at an extra-ordinary National Executive meeting held by 50 members of the party's top leadership on Thursday.

The leaders also resolved to reject the planned recount of ballots because ZEC has already tampered with the ballot boxes.

ZEC this week dismantled the National Command Centre at Rainbow Towers (formerly Sheraton Hotel) even before the presidential election results had been announced.

Senior MDC officials are expected to meet again on Monday to review their decision and finalise the modalities of the action depending on the determination made by the High Court on their case.

The MDC is seeking a court order compelling the ZEC to announce the results immediately.

ZEC lawyer George Chikumbirike has argued before Justice Tendai Uchena that an order demanding the electoral body to release the results would lead to "dangerous consequences," insinuating that ZEC was highly likely to defy the court order anyhow.

The action by the SADC extra-ordinary summit in the Zambia capital, Lusaka, yesterday would also be a determinant in the final mass action decision.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa confirmed that the MDC leadership had endorsed the mass action, but could not be drawn into disclosing a specific date when it would begin. He would only say the mass action would kick off "soon".

He told The Zimbabwean on Sunday: "The National Executive has resolved to involve people in expressing their disappointment over the arrogance of this regime in not releasing the results of the people and illegally extending their term of office.

"We have also resolved not to accept any recount of results because they have already tampered with those boxes in the past 13 days."

MDC officials said the mass action, which was unanimously agreed to at the Thursday meeting, would take the form of peaceful nationwide demonstrations. They said it would not be called off until ZEC agreed to announce the presidential election results.

On Thursday the electoral commission said it would continue to withhold the results until the case has been finalized in the High Court.

"The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission advises members of the public that the issue of presidential election results is now a subject of the High Court," ZEC spokesman Shupikai Mashereni said.

But Chamisa said: "We are not interested in ZEC's antics and foolish excuses. They have demonstrated their lack of capacity."

Pressure is mounting on the Mugabe regime to announce the results. On a call from Airforce One on Thursday, U.S. President George Bush is said to have told Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who is also the African Union chairman, to deal decisively with Mugabe's intransigence.

Analysts said given the stubbornness of Mugabe and his apparatchiks, mass action could be the only option left to the opposition.

Political commentator Ronald Shumba said: "The MDC has clearly demonstrated in this election that it is the centre of power and it has also proved that it is a mammoth political party that has the ability to mobilise people. "The people are left with no choice but to go into a peaceful mass action and the MDC in that vein is acting responsibly. Mass action is the only peaceful, responsible recourse out of this misery."

University of Zimbabwe political scientist John Makumbe said the failure by the regional and international community to rein in Mugabe meant that Zimbabweans had to find their own solutions to the problem confronting them. Ex-liberation war fighters, who have been conscripted into the army as a reserve force, have warned the MDC against a campaign of anarchy, with leader Jabulani Sibanda stating "we will defend the country's sovereignty." But Chamisa said: "At the centre of our struggle for independence was the principle of one-man-one-vote and the sovereignty of the black majority. The regime seems to be undermining exactly that which we fought for. It's a reversal of the gains of our independence."

Chamisa said it was particularly insulting that the regime could behave this way during independence month. Zimbabwe "commemorates" its independence on Thursday.

"Mugabe is felling the tree of independence," Chamisa said.

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