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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Document alleging Zimbabwe 'transition' plans sparks unease |
| 2008-04-10 |
| Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai today accused Zimbabwe's authorities of preparing a "war against the people" to intimidate opposition voters in a presidential runoff. The accusation came as a document purporting to represent the opposition's "transition" plans circulated here in the capital prominently featuring a "hit list" of bureaucrats and security officials who would be purged. A spokesman for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change scoffed at the authenticity of the document, saying it was merely another sortie in the regime's battle to prevent Tsvangirai from taking power by frightening the higher echelons of the bureaucracy and security services about an MDC administration. "Our documents would not be circulating around Harare, unless it's a CIO means to try to cause panic," the spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, said, referring to the intelligence agency. As Tsvangirai attempts the delicate maneuver of reassuring military and intelligence chiefs that they would not be targeted should he become president, the document sent out precisely the opposite message, undermining his efforts to peel the generals who have long supported Mugabe away from the president. The election saw the ruling ZANU-PF party lose its majority for the first time in its 28 years of power. The opposition has kept up intense pressure on Mugabe to leave office, but the ruling party decided to fight a runoff in the presidential campaign if final results gave no candidate an outright majority. It also demanded a recount in 16 parliamentary seats. When opposition lawyers tried to go to court for an order compelling the release of the final election results today, they were blocked. |
| Posted by:Fred |