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Rivals accuse Mugabe of abusing power
President Mugabe used his presidential powers this week to reverse the change so police officers would be able to assist illiterate and disabled voters in polling booths.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:54 March 20, 2008
Harare: Zimbabwe's main opposition party on Thursday accused President Robert Mugabe of abusing his position to rig next week's election by changing the law to let police escort voters to polling booths.
Top police officers have come out in public to back Mugabe, facing the strongest challenge to his rule on March 29 because of defections by senior ruling ZANU-PF party officials.
The election law was changed last year to bar police from coming within 100 metres of polling stations to ensure they could not influence the vote. The change followed South African-brokered talks between the ruling party and opposition.
But Mugabe used his presidential powers this week to reverse the change so police officers would be able to assist illiterate and disabled voters in polling booths.
"One of the players is acting like a referee and pretending to be a competitor. Are we really in an election or are we in a contest already decided by one man?," Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the larger faction of the Movement for Democratic Change, asked.
Mugabe will also be facing ruling party defector Simba Makoni in the presidential vote, being held alongside presidential and parliamentary elections.
Zimbabweans suffer from the world's highest inflation rate and chronic shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency, but opposition divisions have increased Mugabe's chances of keeping power.
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