Washington, DC — "Turn down the temperature," Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was advised by President Olusegun Obasanjo during a visit to Harare in late January. "It was not a directive," Information Minister Jerry Gana told allAfrica.com during a lengthy interview. "This was the advice of a brother...allow free elections. No violence."
Since then, however, temperatures have been rising as the opposition Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) charges government intimidation, while the government has accused MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai of plotting the assassination of President Mugabe.
The U.S. State Department's human rights report released Monday said Mugabe's government had committed many serious human rights abuses in the election campaign.
The situation is "unhealthy," says Gana. "The Nigerian position is to strongly advise that is not the way. You put your ideas before the people. If they now want a different party, why not? Let them govern."
Obasanjo even suggested that Mugabe retire, says Gana. "[He said] that there comes a time when African leaders must serve as elder statesman and develop the attitude of a mentor - this was just advice, it was not a directive."
Thursday, after the army was reportedly put in charge of this weekend's vote, Tsvangirai, who is running against Mugabe, accused the Zimbabwe president of using "state terrorism" to steal an election, a charge the government denies. "You can't say one is a thief before he has stolen something," said Dr. Mariyawanda Nzuwa, the chairman of Zimbabwe's National Election Directorate. Members of the Directorate include the Electoral Supervisory Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Registrar-General's Office, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and six other ministries.
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Gana, who accompanied Obasanjo to Zimbawe, said the Nigerian president asked Mugabe, not to "introduce violence into the campaign process" and to guarantee a free and fair vote. "Let's assure the world that Africa can deliver democracy."
Little information on the mechanics of the vote was given during a briefing for foreign observers and media by the official Electoral Supervisory Commission Wednesday. The Commission was not yet prepared to say how many ballot papers had been printed, provide the exact location of 4,548 polling stations, or say when voter lists would be made public.
Commission Chairman Sobuza Gula-Ndebele, a retired army colonel, would not say why only 23 local observers had been accredited out of 12,000 nominees.
Although the European Union has already imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, Gana said in his personal view they were "belated". The Nigerian government has no official position on sanctions. "We are mediators." In any case, says Gana, "Now the effort should be on ensuring that the elections are free and fair."
