Johannesburg — As the voting continued in Zimbabwe's crucial legislative polls, the British Labour Party has called for tougher sanctions against the Mugabe government amid expectations that the ruling Zanu PF would be retained, though with a slender majority.

Restrictions on Robert Mugabe, his family and key figures in his political regime were first imposed by EU governments three years ago and renewed last month - with the warning they could be re-examined after today's election.

But even before polling was complete, Britain's Labour MP, Glenys Kinnock, who is the party's representative on development policy in the European Union, said the measures should be toughened because the election was "fundamentally flawed".

The sanctions were prompted by political and human rights concerns about Zimbabwe, and followed widespread claims that President Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party rigged parliamentary elections in 2000 and the 2002 presidential poll.

The sanctions include a ban on EU travel by Mugabe, his immediate family and senior government officials. The list of officials drawn up in an EU resolution refers to those "who commit human rights violations and restrict freedom of opinion, association and peaceful protest".

Other sanctions include a ban on arms sales and the freezing of Zimbabwean assets in European banks.

She said:"The entire process in Zimbabwe is fundamentally flawed. How can you have a free and fair election in a country that for the last five years has seen widespread state-sponsored intimidation, arbitrary arrest and torture as well as attacks on legitimate opposition and the independent media?"

She also questioned the fairness of the election process, saying the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association for

Zimbabweans had been denied to the people of Zimbabwe for five years, hence there was palpable fear of reprisals against people who would vote for the opposition MDC.

"This election will be as lacking in legitimacy as the last two. The same soldiers and Zanu thugs who beat and killed would-be voters now stand at the polling booths. Constituency boundaries have been gerrymandered to suit Zanu-PF," she added.