South African President Thabo Mbeki was to meet Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe yesterday for talks ahead of next week’s presidential election run-off, Mbeki’s spokesman said.
Mbeki has led regional mediation efforts in Zimbabwe’s increasingly violent crisis and has drawn criticism for his diplomatic approach to Mugabe, who faces opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the June 27 vote.
Mugabe’s ZANU-PF is accused by the opposition, Western countries and human rights groups of orchestrating a campaign of violence ahead of the vote.
Mbeki’s spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said Mbeki would meet Mugabe yesterday. He said he did not know what would be discussed at the meeting in Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe’s state-owned Herald newspaper said Mbeki would “discuss the forthcoming presidential election run-off and the campaigns.”
Tsvangirai, who heads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), won the first election in March, but official tallies showed he did not secure enough votes for an outright victory.
Mugabe, 84, has ruled since 1980. His support has waned amid an economic crisis that has brought hyperinflation and food shortages and driven millions of Zimbabweans abroad.
The MDC leader has been repeatedly detained and released during the election campaign and one of his top lieutenants has been arrested and faces a treason charge.
The head of the Pan African Parliament observer mission, Marwick Khumalo, said on Wednesday the group had heard “horrendous” reports of violence, in contrast to the run-up to the March election.
“It is unfortunate that violence has come up in this manner. Instead of focusing on the smoothness of the electoral process like what happened in March, violence has taken over,” he said.
Britain and the US urged Mugabe this week to allow a broader international observer mission. Monitors from countries critical of Mugabe have been banned from observing the election.
Zimbabwe invited 47 teams of monitors for the first round from regional organizations and countries including China, Russia and Iran, with whom Mugabe enjoys relatively good relations.
Harare said yesterday it would screen local observers for the election to ensure they have “no pre-conceived ideas” about the vote.
“We are going to assess the status in respect to their independence and neutrality,” Zimbabwean Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa was quoted as saying by the Herald. “We are going to invite those with no pre-conceived ideas about the outcome of the elections. We have evidence that some of the observers went and stayed in the polling stations, corrupting election officials.”
The paper said local observers “who were extensions of foreign interests would not be allowed.”
An independent local monitoring agency, one of a handful of local groups who were allowed to observe the first election, has said some of its observers were too afraid to monitor the run-off poll.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network said dozens of its observers have been assaulted by suspected Mugabe supporters following the first poll.
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