US embassy cable - 02HARARE678

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000678 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF, PDAS BELLAMY; ALSO FOR AF/S 
 
PRETORIA PLEASE PASS A/S KANSTEINER 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/04 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, ZI 
SUBJECT: COMMONWEALTH OBSERVER GROUP GIVES 
         THUMBS-DOWN ON ZIMBABWEAN ELECTION 
 
CLASSIFIED BY DCM REWHITEHEAD DUE TO 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
REF:  HARARE 665 
 
1.  (U) AFTER A ONE-HOUR DELAY, COMMONWEALTH OBSERVER 
GROUP (COG) HEAD OF MISSION ABDULSALAMI ABUBAKAR READ TO 
THE ASSEMBLED PRESS AND DIPLOMATIC CORPS IN INTERIM 
STATEMENT ON THE ZIMBABWEAN ELECTION THAT WAS SHORT BUT 
CERTAINLY NOT SWEET TO GOZ EARS.  ABUBAKAR REMARKED ON 
THE COMMONWEALTH'S ENGAGEMENT IN TRYING TO RESOLVE TO 
THE ZIMBABWEAN "CRISIS" SINCE ABUJA AND SAID THAT THE 
COG TERMS OF REFERENCE REQUIRED THAT IT PRONOUNCE ON THE 
ELECTORAL PROCESS AND WHETHER OR NOT THE ELECTION 
ALLOWED THE FREE EXPRESSION OF THE VOTERS' WILL. 
 
2.  (U) ON THE FIRST POINT, HE SAID THAT COG HAD BEEN 
DEEPLY IMPRESSED BY THE DETERMINATION OF ZIMBABWEANS TO 
EXERCISE THEIR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS UNDER "DIFFICULT 
CONDITIONS."  HE CONTINUED THAT A HIGH LEVEL OF 
POLITICALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE MARRED THE PRE-ELECTION 
PERIOD, MOST OF IT PERPETRATED BY SUPPORTERS/MEMBERS OF 
THE RULING PARTY AGAINST SUPPORTERS/MEMBERS OF THE 
OPPOSITION.  HE SPECIFICALLY CITED YOUTH MILITIA 
ORGANIZED BY THE GOZ OSTENSIBLY AS A TRAINING PROGRAM 
THAT HAD CARRIED OUT A "SYSTEMATIC CAMPAIGN OF 
INTIMIDATION AGAINST THE MDC."  THIS HAD CREATED A 
"CLIMATE OF FEAR AND SUSPICION." 
 
3.  (U) ABUBAKAR SAID THAT POLICE HAD NOT TAKEN ACTION 
AGAINST OR INVESTIGATED INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE AND BEEN 
"HIGH-HANDED" WITH THE MDC AND "LENIENT" TO ZANU-PF. 
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THIS HAD ADVERSELY AFFECTED THE RULE OF LAW IN ZIMBABWE. 
 
4.  (U) HE NEXT STATED THAT THE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK 
FOR THE ELECTION WAS BASICALLY FLAWED.  THE PUBLIC 
OORDER AND SECURITY ACT IN PARTICULAR HAD PREVENTED FREE 
MOVEMENT AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND HAD NOT ALLOWED THE 
OPPOSITION TO CAMPAIGN.  THE STATEMENT CITED OTHER 
REGULATIONS HAD KEPT CIVIL SOCIETY FROM PLAYING ITS 
NORMAL ROLE, INCLUDING UNNECESSARY RESTRICTIONS THAT 
PREVENTED DEPLOYMENT OF DOMESTIC OBSERVERS.  THERE WAS A 
LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN THE REGISTRATION PROCESS.  THE 
STATEMENT CRITICIZED THE WIDE DISCRETION GIVEN THE 
REGISTRAR GENERAL AND SAID THAT THE INCUMBENT PARTY HAD 
USED STATE RESOURCES FOR ITS CAMPAIGN, IN PARTICULAR THE 
GOVERNMENT'S NEAR MONOPOLY ON THE BROADCAST MEDIA. 
 
5.  (U) THE STATEMENT CONTINUED THAT MANY COULD NOT VOTE 
BECAUSE OF THE REDUCTION OF POLLING STATIONS IN URBAN 
AREAS.  SUCH A PHENOMENON DID NOT EXIST IN RURAL AREAS. 
ABUBAKAR CITED "INEXPLICABLE" DELAYS IN HONORING A HIGH 
COURT RULING TO OPEN POLLING STATION FOR A THIRD DAY OF 
VOTING IN HARARE AND CHITUNGWIZA.  THE REPORT CONCLUDED 
THAT "CONDITIONS IN ZIMBABWE DID NOT ADEQUATELY ALLOW 
FREE EXPRESSION OF THE WILL OF THE ELECTORS." 
 
6.  (C) THE AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER AND AN 
AUSTRALIAN MEMBER OF COG TOLD US THAT THE HARD-HITTING 
STATEMENT HAD BEEN THE FOCUS OF INTENSE WRANGLING, WITH 
NAMIBIAN AND KENYAN DELEGATES (AND TO A LESSER DEGREE 
THE SOUTH AFRICANS) ALIGNED AGAINST ALL OTHER MEMBERS OF 
THE DELEGATION, INCLUDING OTHER AFRICANS.  THEIR 
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PAGE 04        HARARE  00678  141252Z 
ATTEMPTS TO DELETE LANGUAGE CRITICAL OF THE GOZ FAILED 
WHEN THE OTHERS THREATENED TO BRING THE ISSUE TO A VOTE 
AND FORCE THEM TO WALK OUT.  THE AUSTRALIAN OBSERVER 
SAID THAT HE DID NOT THINK THAT IT HAD ULTIMATELY COME 
TO THAT, BUT THAT CONSENSUS WAS BY NO MEANS UNIVERSAL. 
HE ADDED THAT THERE WOULD BE AN EVEN MORE BRUISING 
STRUGGLE OVER THE DRAFT OF THE FINAL REPORT, WHICH WILL 
CONTAIN A RECOMMENDATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT ZIMBABWE 
SHOULD BE SUSPENDED FROM THE COMMONWEALTH. 
 
7.  (C) COMMENT.  DESPITE ITS INTERNAL RIFTS, THE 
COMMONWEALTH HAS JOINED RANKS WITH SADC-PF AND THE 
NORWEGIANS IN PUBLICLY CONDEMNING THE CONDITIONS UNDER 
WHICH THE ELECTION TOOK PLACE (REFTEL), AND BY EXTENSION 
CALLING INTO QUESTION ITS LEGITIMACY.  THIS OUTCOME 
GENERATED CONSIDERABLE EMOTION.  THE AUSTRALIAN OBSERVER 
FUMED THAT HE FOUND IT INCONCEIVABLE THAT SOME OF THE 
AFRICAN OBSERVERS WOULD ARGUE THAT AFRICAN ELECTIONS 
SHOULD BE JUDGED BY MORE LENIENT STANDARDS THAN 
ELECTIONS HELD ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD. 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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