MetaFilter posts tagged with elections and zimbabwe

Get out of the vehicle, or we'll burn it

Artw — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:52:36 -0800

Zimbabwe: Holds diplomats (after threatening to burn them), suspends aid, bans opposition rallies.

Gasoline for that fire?

allkindsoftime — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:23:48 -0800

April 18, 1980: Rhodesia is renamed Zimbabwe after it is granted black majority rule. In 1980 the Rhodesian government accepted British and American mediation and signed the Lancaster House agreement for majority rule. In elections held that year, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), as ZANU became known, decisively defeated ZAPU. Robert Mugabe was installed as prime minister, and the nation was renamed Zimbabwe. (via) Nearly 3 wees ago, Zimbabwe voted to, by most accounts, finally oust Mugabe. But he's still there, election results are still withheld, and his militia will shortly be getting their hands on 70 tonnes weaponry coming (via a complacent South Africa) from that one country in Asia hosting the Olympics this year. Lots more at ZimbabweSituation. Prev.

And the wheels start coming off again.

allkindsoftime — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:30:16 -0800

"It's ethnic cleansing happening." Fully ten days after elections that most are speculating were indeed won by the opposition party (Movement for Democratic Change), Robert Mugabe still clings to power in Zimbabwe. The voting results have still not been released, and 5 election officials have been arrested, "accused of tampering with the vote to the detriment of Mugabe's tally." Its been a tense time for Zim, and now the violence and land seizures have started again. This morning it was reported that 60 white farmers have now been driven from their lands by "groups of as many as 200 young men, organized and paid by ZANU-PF and chanting party slogans and shouting anti-white epithets." That's over 10% of the remaining white farmers left in Zimbabwe, after the thousands in the last few years that had their lands seized at Mugabe's behest: "Land must remain in our hands - the land is ours, it must not be allowed to slip back into the hands of whites." South Africa's Thabo Mbeki is expected to meet with the opposition leader. Tutu remains hopeful that Mugabe will step down, but gangs are going after opposition voters.

Mapping the election conditions in Zimbabwe

PenDevil — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:02:50 -0800

Mapping the election conditions in Zimbabwe - A project of Sokwanele , the Zimbabwe Civic Action Support Group. Zimbabweans vote in presidential and parliamentary elections on March 29th.

Fat Buddha — Sat, 16 Mar 2002 13:22:22 -0800

E.mail Mugabe. Amnesty International, unsurprisingly, has grave concerns for the welfare of Mugabe's opponents, particularly as few international observers remain. It suggests you send a fax or an e.mail asking that he considers the human rights issue and provides an address and number. Very probably a meaningless gesture but hey, you never know.

theplayethic — Thu, 14 Mar 2002 01:26:24 -0800

US President George W Bush said he did not recognise the outcome [of the Zimbabwe election] and that the election was "flawed". Whoa, Nelly! Where exactly are we with that Florida count these days?

davehat — Tue, 12 Mar 2002 18:07:34 -0800

The inevitable seems imminent. Despite widespread condemnation of the election process, Robert Mugabe seems destined to win the Zimbabwe Presidency 'legitimately'*.

This is terrible, terrible news.

*please read posts here for explanation of ghost quotes.

palegirl — Fri, 30 Jun 2000 22:28:04 -0800

the economist presents a very clear review of why and how the zimbabwe elections went horribly wrong and what this means for the future of zimbabwe & africa. [this article is neither long nor hard but it's strong. read it] "After 20 years of ZANU government, the average Zimbabwean is a third poorer and can expect to die more than 15 years younger. . . The responsibility for reviving the sick economy still rests with Mr Mugabe and ZANU. Half of the workforce is jobless. Inflation is eating Zimbabweans’ savings at a rate of almost 70% a year. An unrealistic exchange rate has led to shortages of fuel and other imports. Mr Mugabe’s plans to seize white-owned farms without compensation, and his contradictory statements about whether he will do the same to mines and factories, have scared off both foreign and domestic investors. Despite having some of the most fertile land in Africa, Zimbabwe could need food aid this year."