Washington, DC — Freedom House condemns the serious flaws in Zimbabwe’s July 31 elections, notably the manipulation of voter rolls and widespread intimidation on the part of ZANU-PF, the party of longtime strongman Robert Mugabe. These elections can be considered neither free nor fair and the United States government, the Southern Africa Development Community, African Union, United Nations and democratic nations should denounce them as such.
On Election Day, local NGOs noted systematic disenfranchisement, with significantly more voters being turned away in urban strongholds of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change than in rural ZANU-PF strongholds. Although the situation in Zimbabwe currently remains free from violence, Freedom House is concerned that widespread evidence of vote rigging may fuel tensions across the country.
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