Church officials say it's unlikely Zimbabwean election will be fair

Published: 2008-01-22

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Church officials said it's unlikely Zimbabwe will hold a free and fair presidential election this year, since Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has refused demands for a new constitution to be implemented before the poll. "Mugabe knows he can play games and get away with it," said Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, South Africa. The 83-year-old Zimbabwean president "has the security forces on his side, and his opposition has no protection under the law, so he doesn't need to make any concessions," Bishop Dowling told Catholic News Service Jan. 21. Mugabe has rejected the opposition's requests that the election, scheduled for March, be postponed to June to allow for a new constitution to be put in place. Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence from Great Britain in 1980, "is untrustworthy and does not intend to make significant changes to bring stability to the country," said the bishop, noting that until a new constitution that protects human rights is in place "there can be no free and fair elections."

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