Voters in Zimbabwe go to the polls Saturday and 
Sunday to choose a new parliament. In the final days 
before the election, the country's two major political 
parties are campaigning frantically. Leaders of the 
opposition Movement for Democratic Change are accusing 
the government of using intimidation and violence to 
hold on to power. Meanwhile, President Robert Mugabe 
has been holding campaign rallies around the country 
to drum up support for his ruling party, ZANU-P-F.

TEXT: 

/// SFX: SINGING, HELICOPTERS--ESTABLISH & FADE ///

Hundreds of flag-waving Zanu-P-F supporters are on 
hand to greet Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as 
his helicopter touches down in the town of Chivu, 
three hours' drive south of Harare. The singing, 
dancing horde escorts the president into the local 
stadium, where roughly four-thousand people are 
waiting to hear him speak.

It is Mr. Mugabe's final rally of the day. As in 
earlier campaign stops, he vows to accelerate the 
government-backed seizure of white-owned commercial 
farms. 

MUGABE ACT IN SHONA--ESTABLISH & FADE 

Mr. Mugabe says Zimbabwe is for black people, and he 
praises the war veterans leading the farm-seizure 
movement. Land reform is a central issue for ZANU-P-F 
this election season. The party's campaign posters 
and billboards read: "Land is the economy, the economy 
is land."

Elsewhere in the speech, the president mocks white 
commercial farmers, his political opponents, the 
British government and the news media. 

His comments -- especially those about the farm 
seizures -- are met with rousing applause and cheers 
from the audience. But some in the crowd do not wait 
to hear the end of Mr. Mugabe's speech. Halfway 
through his remarks, a steady stream of mostly young 
people is headed for the exits.

// OPT // But police have shut the gates to the 
stadium and refuse to let anyone leave. There is a 
lot of pushing and shoving, and when the doors are 
cracked open to let a few people out, the crowd seizes 
the opportunity. They force the gates open all the 
way, and there is a minor stampede as hundreds of 
people flood out into the parking lot. // END OPT //

Even in the heart of ZANU-P-F territory, it is hard to 
tell how much support the president has. He is facing 
the first serious challenge to his grip on power since 
taking office 20 years ago. The opposition Movement 
for Democratic Change is fielding challengers to ZANU-
P-F candidates in each off the 120 constituencies up 
for grabs this weekend.

Earlier (Thursday) in Harare, M-D-C leader Morgan 
Tsvangirai held his final news conference before the 
voting begins. He told reporters only serious 
election fraud could keep the M-D-C from winning an 
outright majority in the new parliament.


We know for instance that [for the] M-D-C to win 
40 seats, there would have been serious rigging 
to have taken place. And they know that we 
know. So that possibility will be open to legal 
challenge. // OPT // But even if M-D-C wins, 
we will still maintain that the elections were 
carried out in an environment which is not free 
and fair. 



Mr. Tsvangirai also told reporters another M-D-C 
supporter has been beaten to death, allegedly by pro-
government militants. More than 30 people -- mostly 
opposition supporters -- have been killed in election-
related violence since February. 

http://www.bdnetpro.com/

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