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Misanet.com / IPS, 15 March - An uneasy calm grips Zimbabwe as restless urban workers contemplate mass action to protest alleged irregularities during the 9-11 March presidential elections, appearently won by incumbent Robert Mugabe. For the moment, the workers, most of whom voted for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), found little support from their colleagues who felt industrial action would be ineffective. To their delight, the Commonwealth Observer Mission's report strongly condemned the weekend poll. The Commonwealth Mission, representing 54 mainly former British colonies, Thursday said "conditions in Zimbabwe did not adequately allow for a free expression of will by the electors." Their finding was a major setback to Mugabe, whose re-election was condemned by Western countries as massively rigged, but found support from observer groups from South Africa, Namibia and Nigeria, who described the poll as free and fair. Their endorsement of the vote results enraged some urban residents who wanted a change in Zimbabwe where Mugabe has ruled for 22 years. "Those who say the election was free and fair are lying. I was in the rural areas and I did not see any observer. Things were so bad there that a village headman and his people would be ordered by war veterans [who fought for Zimbabwe's independence, along with Mugabe, in the 1970s] where to vote, and for whom to cast their ballot papers," claims a restaurant worker. He urged the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) to organise a mass protest to reflect the workers' anger. On Thursday, the police banned a ZCTU meeting, called to consider the possibility of industrial action in the aftermath of the poll. Hours before the meeting started, the police insisted that their officers be present at the talks. But when the ZCTU refused, the police warned that armed riot police would be called to break up the meeting. Wellington Chibebe, ZCTU secretary general, accused the police of being overzealous. The ZCTU executive council, he said, had wanted to discuss the way forward. Chibebe appealed to the government to leave the union alone to do its work. Under Zimbabwe's 'Public Order and Security Act', mass protests first have to be approved by the police. President Mugabe has threatened to ban the 700,000-member strong ZCTU, accusing it of abandoning the workers and of transforming itself into a political party. MDC was formed out of the ZCTU where its president Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy, Gibson Sibanda, were its leaders. Since the formation of the MDC in 1998, relations between the ZCTU and government have worsened. Economists say President Mugabe's victory is likely to further weaken the country's economy. Zimbabwe is suffering its worst economic crisis, with unemployment at a record 60 percent, inflation at an all time high of 112 percent and interest rates of 70 percent. Up to 400 companies have closed since last year, foreign investment has dried up, while up to three million people need food aid. The government blames Western countries and white people, who make up less than one percent of Zimbabwe's population, for the country's economic woes. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is unlikely to extend borrowing facility to Zimbabwe, which is under US and European Union (EU) embargoes. MDC leader, Tsvangirai, who offidcially garnered 40 percent of the cast votes, has described the weekend poll results as "daylight robbery". Mugabe, who officially got 54 percent of the votes, will be inaugurated on Saturday. UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan has called on Zimbabweans to remain calm and to disavow acts of violence and retribution.
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