Mugabe prepares for swearing in ceremony before results released

By Lance Guma
28 June 2008

Preparations for Robert Mugabe’s swearing in ceremony Sunday were said to be underway at State House on Saturday even before results from the ‘one-man election’ were released. Government sources who spoke to the AFP news agency confirmed that the inauguration would be held at 10am on Sunday before Mugabe left the country for the African Union summit in Cairo, Egypt. The source said tents were already being set up for the ceremony in the clearest signal that Friday’s vote was a mere formality.

Mugabe vowed he was going to confront any African countries that will dare to point a finger at Zimbabwe during the summit. This was interpreted to mean he might try and hide behind the poor human rights records of other countries like Sudan. Analysts however say he is standing on his last legs after his own peers in SADC rejected the poll as a sham. Other African countries outside SADC have also branded the election an embarrassment, adding to Mugabe’s legitimacy woes.

As results trickled in from some of the polling stations a clear picture is emerging of many people spoiling their ballot papers in protest. A polling station in Highfields recorded 266 votes for Mugabe, 184 for Tsvangirai while 150 votes were spoiled. The pattern repeated itself countrywide especially in opposition strongholds.

Meanwhile the United States is planning to put forward a UN resolution on Monday calling for tough action against Mugabe’s regime. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US and Britain will present the resolution. Rice said, ‘Its time for the international community to act. It’s hard to imagine that anybody could fail to act given what we're all watching on the ground in Zimbabwe.’