Harare/Johannesburg - Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe was sworn in as president for another five years Sunday after sweeping the polls in a controversial one-man presidential election run-off.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is pictured during his swearing in ceremony in Harare, Zimbabwe, 29 June 2008. Incumbent President Robert Mugabe was sworn in as president for another five years at a ceremony in Harare after sweeping the polls in a go-it-alone presidential election run-off. EPA/STR
Mugabe, clad in a grey suit, took the oath of office in front of guests at State House in Harare less than two hours after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission released the results of Friday's election.
The pugilistic 84-year-old leader appeared to be in a sombre mood after pledging to serve Zimbabwe in a ceremony presided over by Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku.
A rendition of the national anthem, a four-gun salute and a fly-past of Zimbabwe Air Force jets completed the proceedings, which were broadcast on state television.
Mugabe took 2,150,269 of the votes cast, against 233,000 for opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai, who had urged people not to vote for him after deciding to boycott the poll. A further 131,481 ballots were spoilt.
Voter turnout of 42.37 per cent was akin to that of the first round of voting in March but election observers and witnesses said many voters had been intimidated into turning out to vote by pro-Mugabe youth militia and soldiers.
Human Rights Watch said Sunday it had documented several incidents of post-election attacks by ruling Zanu-PF party supporters on people who did not vote for Mugabe, including beatings with thick sticks.
The high number of spoilt ballots reflected the frustration of some at being pressured into taking part in a vote slammed by the West as a sham.
Tsvangirai withdrew over fears for the safety of his supporters, 86 of whom have been killed by state-sponsored militia since he defeated Mugabe in the first round of the presidential elections in March.
The MDC urged African Union (AU) members, whose leaders are meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday not to recognize the vote outcome, as did activist South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
African repudiation of Mugabe's victory would send 'a very strong signal,' according to Tutu, who told the BBC a 'very good argument' could be made for an international peacekeeping force in Zimbabwe.
But African countries appear divided over how to handle Mugabe, with Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga calling for AU military intervention to wrest power from him and South African President Thabo Mbeki rumoured to be planning to endorse him.
An election observer team from the 14-nation Southern African Development Community had been due to issue a report on the vote Sunday but was locked in wrangling over the wording.
But observer team from the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) slammed the vote, saying 'state-sponsored' violence and intimidation before the vote had marked the 'lowest ebb in recent history in Zimbabwe.'
'The current atmosphere prevailing in the country did not give rise to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections,' the 40-strong team concluded.
The PAP team called on SADC and the AU to broker negotiations between Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the MDC on a transitional government and the holding of fresh elections.
Mugabe says he is open to talks with the MDC, after refusing to engage with them before the elections.
The MDC, for its part, has asked the AU to send peacekeepers to Zimbabwe and appoint a special envoy to help resolve the impasse.
US President George W Bush said Saturday his administration would be pushing for United Nations sanctions against Zimbabwe, including an arms embargo and travel ban on key officials.
German chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday she would also be pressing for more stringent European Union sanctions following what she called the election 'farce.'
Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe for all of its 28 years of independence from Britain.
His regime is blamed for the country's economic ruin, including inflation levels of 2 million per cent according to MDC estimates and the collapse of the country's agriculture following the seizing of white-owned farms as part of a controversial land reform programme.
juhaJun 30th, 2008 - 01:30:42
time for the west to enact more targeted sanctions including companies that deal with Zimbabwe. If these companies think its more profitable to sell and buy in Zimbabwe let them, but dont let them sell or buy in the west, this can allso be applied to countries.
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