Britain Rejects Zimbabwe Presidential Election - 2002-03-14

Britain says it does not accept the presidential election in Zimbabwe that resulted in Robert Mugabe's victory, nor the legitimacy of the voting process. Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary, states that Zimbabwean voters were clearly deprived of their fundamental right to cast their votes and choose their president. Zimbabwe was a former colony of Britain. Meanwhile, a group of Commonwealth observers has condemned the presidential election in Zimbabwe. This action may be followed by similar moves from the international community. The group, in releasing a negative report on the Zimbabwe elections, stated that this controversial election did not reflect the free will of the people. There is a possibility that this report could lead to Zimbabwe's expulsion from the Commonwealth. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, has mentioned receiving conflicting reports about this election. The United States and other Western countries also claim that the election was neither free nor transparent. Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition party candidate, has rejected the election results, alleging that there was fraud in the voting and counting process. On the other hand, on Wednesday, Zimbabwean police disrupted a meeting of the board of the largest trade union federation. Recently, a law has been passed that prohibits general strikes. However, sources close to the leadership of the Zimbabwean trade union say that they may unofficially call workers to strike.