Mugabe rigged Zimbabwe polls: Britain Author: AFP [ TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2002 8:36:13 PM ] LONDON: British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Tuesday there was already "pretty strong" early evidence that President Robert Mugabe had "stolen" the election in Zimbabwe. Although he refused to make a final judgement on the conduct of the weekend presidential poll, he told parliament that if Mugabe was declared the winner of a rigged vote, it would have "enormous implications" for London's ties with Harare. "If it becomes clear, and the evidence is already pretty strong, that President Mugabe, in the event he is declared the winner, has stolen the election, then that has enormous implications for the nature of our relationship with Zimbabwe," he warned. "This is a terrible period, not only for Zimbabwe but for those who hold the course of democracy dear in Africa and elsewhere." Counting in the election, in which Mugabe is battling for his political future against opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai after 22 years in power, began Tuesday amid complaints in Zimbabwe over the conduct of the vote. A group of independent local observers said the electoral process was neither free nor fair and could spark fresh violence in the southern African country. Straw said there had been "every sign" of intimidation by Mugabe's Zanu-PF party up to the close of polls as well as many reports of irregularities since then, including shortage of polling booths in urban areas and harassment of opposition election agents in rural areas. Copyright @ 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. |