Movement for Democratic Change secretary general Tendai Biti denounced reports that the party was considering a government of national unity or a vice-presidential spot for party leader Morgan Tsvangirai and warned that there could be an outbreak of violence.
Biti said the MDC was concerned about three main issues: a possible unlawful recount, discrediting of the MDC through forged documents and the militarisation of a runoff by ZANU-PF.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08HARARE313, SITUATION REPORT: MDC REJECTS RECOUNT, LOOKS TO
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
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VZCZCXRO8544
OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0313/01 1011152
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 101152Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2755
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1905
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2028
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0596
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1305
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1662
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2084
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4515
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1160
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000313
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2018
SUBJECT: SITUATION REPORT: MDC REJECTS RECOUNT, LOOKS TO
LUSAKA
Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d)
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Ten days after Zimbabwe’s national
elections, with results of the presidential contest still
outstanding, the Ambassador confirmed the intention of MDC
presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai, currently in
Botswana, to travel with President Khama to Lusaka for the
April 12-13 emergency SADC summit on Zimbabwe. On April 9,
MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti held a press conference to
denounce reports in the government newspaper that the MDC
would consider a government of national unity or a
vice-presidential spot for Tsvangirai. Biti reiterated his
call to the international community to intervene in advance
of an outbreak of violence. He went on to raise concerns on
three main issues: a possible unlawful recount, discrediting
of the MDC though forged documents and the militarization of
a runoff by ZANU-PF. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (C) As Zimbabwe continues to wait for results of the March
29 presidential election, the Ambassador confirmed with
Morgan Tsvangirai on April 10 that the opposition candidate
was in Gaborone, Botswana and planned to travel to the April
12-13 extraordinary SADC summit on Zimbabwe in Lusaka with
Botswana’s new president, Seretse Ian Khama. Tsvangirai
intended to return to Zimbabwe following the summit.
Tsvangirai told the Ambassador that MDC Secretary General
SIPDIS
Tendai Biti planned to travel to South Africa over the
weekend to appeal to diaspora MDC backers for additional
financial assistance.
¶3. (SBU) In an April 9 press conference, Biti denied reports
in the government mouthpiece, The Herald, that the MDC would
consider a government of national unity or a
vice-presidential spot for MDC presidential candidate Morgan
Tsvangirai. Biti reiterated the MDC’s stance that Tsvangirai
SIPDIS
had won the election outright and again called on the
international community to intervene. He implored SADC, the
African Union and Western nations “not to wait for dead
bodies to litter the streets” of Harare and Bulawayo. Biti
went on to raise concerns on three main issues. First, he
noted that ten days after the March 29 election, with results
still outstanding, ZANU-PF, according to The Herald, had
called for a recount of 21 parliamentary constituencies and
portions of the presidential vote. Biti remarked that this
was proof that ZANU-PF had “opened ballot boxes, moved ballot
boxes and knows what’s inside;” he stated the MDC would
categorically reject any recount as outside the law. Biti
noted that the constitution does not provide for a recount in
a presidential election, and provides for a parliamentary
recount only if requested within 48 hours of declaration of
results. (NOTE: The April 10 edition of The Herald reports
that ZANU-PF did raise concerns over the 21 constituencies
with the electoral commission within the statutory 48 hours;
this has not been independently confirmed. END NOTE.)
¶4. (SBU) Second, Biti accused ZANU-PF’s Central Intelligence
Organization (CIO) of forging and releasing an inflammatory
MDC “Transition Strategy”, allegedly authored by Biti, a copy
of which was distributed at the press conference. Among
other conspiracy-driven items, the document called for
inviting Western leaders, including President Bush “and other
key stakeholders in the People’s Project,” to Morgan
Tsvangirai’s March 31 or April 1 inauguration; as well as for
SIPDIS
the dissolution of the security sector and the replacement of
senior military officers with former members of the Rhodesian
Security Forces. Biti denied having prepared any such plan.
(NOTE: Reserve Bank Governor Gono had sent the Ambassador a
copy of this document on 3 April, claiming it was a product
of the MDC that had been “discovered” by the CIO. END NOTE.)
¶5. (C) Third, Biti reported on the widespread
HARARE 00000313 002 OF 002
“militarization” of all of Zimbabwe’s provinces, particularly
in those areas where the MDC reportedly did well during the
March 29 contest. Biti stated that the Mugabe regime, as
part of a systematic campaign of violence and intimidation,
had divided responsibility for each region among 207 mostly
senior military officers, who were each responsible for
commanding war veterans to secure support for Mugabe in a
runoff. The officials and their respective locations were
named in another document distributed by the MDC during the
press conference. According to the MDC, the teams were to be
deployed on April 8. (NOTE: This deployment date tracks with
an uptick in violence perpetrated in rural areas by war
veterans and security forces, as reported by local NGOs
(septel). END NOTE.)
¶6. (C) The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has reportedly
closed its command center — the location provided for the
tallying of votes from the March 29 elections — adding to
anxiety among opposition and civil society members in Harare.
Though rumors that ZEC has been moved to a “secret” location
have been dispelled (ZEC appears to have returned to work in
its regular offices), we have heard reports that the location
of the ballot boxes remains unknown. According to ZEC’s
deputy director, technical delays in counting results
continue and the commission is not yet ready for the
verification phase, during which party agents are allowed to
observe, to begin. Commenting on the arrest of ZEC officials
and other polling agents for incorrect completion of forms,
the deputy director suggested that it would have been
appropriate for ZEC to have conducted an internal
investigation before the police became involved. The deputy
confirmed that there would be a recount in the constituencies
in question by ZANU-PF, and that party agents and observers
would be allowed to be present, information that tracked with
The Herald’s April 10 edition.
MCGEE
(44 VIEWS)
