Mugabe told ‘don’t steal this election’

CHINHOYI: Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday warned President Robert Mugabe not to ‘‘steal’’ a crunch vote next week, so that his veteran rival could exit office with dignity.

‘‘Mugabe stole an election in 2002, he stole the election in 2008. This time we want to tell him that he will not steal again,’’ Mr Tsvangirai said in an address to thousands of supporters.

‘‘As a party, we don’t have intentions of retribution. What we only want and what we are saying to Mr Mugabe is ‘run this election freely and fairly so that we can give you a dignified exit’.’’

After two previous polls condemned by observers as unfair, Mr Tsvangirai is vying to end Mr Mugabe’s 33-year rule and a four-year shaky coalition forced after chaotic elections in 2008.

Speaking in the town of Chinhoyi, 100km northwest of the capital Harare, he hit out at the electoral authority after a disorganised special early vote and the absence of an electoral roll.

‘‘I have not been given the voters roll, three days before the elections,’’ Mr Tsvangirai said, saying this would provide a loophole for vote-rigging.

He again accused the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) of printing 8 million ballots, instead of 6.2 million, the number of registered voters.

‘‘I am saying this in full view of observers,’’ he said. ‘‘We know you have printed 8 million ballots for the presidential election, 8 million for the parliamentary election. You don’t explain why you need 2 million extra ballots.’’

The lead-up to the July 31 election has been marred by flawed voter registration, chaotic early polling for security forces, and lopsided campaign coverage in state media.

A special early vote held on July 14-15 for police officers and soldiers saw polling stations open without ballot papers available, leaving thousands of voters unable to cast their ballots.

Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that the thousands of officers who were unable to vote due to the disorganisation will get a second chance to cast ballots during the Wednesday general elections.

Mr Tsvangirai claims his Movement for Democratic Change party had also discovered some of the ballot papers that were cast were later thrown away.

‘‘You [the ZEC] messed up the special vote of 70,000 people’’ he said.

‘‘In two days you could not handle those people.

‘‘How are you going to handle the 6.2 million voters who are going to line up for one day?’’ JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged his sceptical coalition partners yesterday to agree to free Palestinian prisoners as part of US efforts to resume peace talks, calling the deal a ‘‘tough decision’’ that he took for the good of the country.

He spoke at a meeting of the cabinet called to vote on the prisoner release, while hundreds of Israelis who lost loved ones in Palestinian attacks protested outside the government complex against the move.

Among the protesters was the head of the Netanyahu parliamentary coalition’s third most powerful party.

Along with the prisoner release, ministers are also voting on authorising the resumption of talks with the Palestinians and will set up a team led by the premier to oversee negotiations.

Late last night Thai time they approved an amended bill that would require a national referendum on any partition deal with the Palestinians.