Zimbabweans are at the polls. Millions are hoping that Thursday 31 March will go down in history as a day when the will of the people is truly heard, where the voice of change is heard loud and clear. Indications in the run up to the elections indicate that it might not be so simple, with numerous factors contributing towards a situation where the polls are far from free and fair. Below is a summary of some of the events over the last seven days.

Thursday, 24 March

Allegations from civil society and the opposition are that the elections will not be free and fair and that Southern Africa Development Community guidelines on democratic elections have not been followed.

On this day, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) says it is not happy with the slow accreditation of election monitors from civil society organisations.

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesman Paul Themba-Nyathi expresses worry at the higher amount of polling stations in ZANU-PF rural strongholds.

The Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe reports that SW Radio broadcasts are still being deliberately jammed. The MMPZ reports that news coverage of the parties' campaigns continued to favour ZANU PF. For example, of 120 stories ZBH carried on campaigns, 99 (83%) were on ZANU- PF and 19 (16%) were on the MDC.

But Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa says elections are on track.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=4629
http://www.mmpz.org.zw

Friday, 25 March

The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) issues a statement saying there have been reports of increased surveillance of NGOs by people believed to be state agents and warns NGOs to improve their security awareness and take measures to minimise their exposure to being isolated and subjected to danger.

Robert Mugabe targets former king of spin Jonathan Moyo, one time ZANU-PF darling relegated to standing as an independent candidate after being kicked out of the party, by accusing him of plotting a military coup. Moyo, Mugabe claims, broke down and cried when confronted with the allegations.

http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/mar25b_2005.html#link8

Saturday, 26 March

Subtle intimidation and a history of brutality would prevent the elections from being free and fair, even though the run-up to the polls had been the most peaceful in years, says the MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai.

News reports allege that food is being used as a political weapon. The UKs independent newspaper alleges that four million people are starving in Zimbabwe and that opponents of Robert Mugabe are being turned away from emergency food rations.

Sunday, 27 March

Civil society network Sokwanele announces the launch of a specialist blog (http://www.sokwanele.com/blog/blog.html). The bloggers are based all around Zimbabwe and come from all walks of life. They will share their feelings on life in Zimbabwe in the run-up to Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition launches an election information centre. The purpose of the centre is to provide information on the election, monitoring the electoral process through documentation and regular visits to polling stations. For further information please get in touch on the following numbers: 091 288 605, 091 907 235, 011 612 860, 011 603 439, 011 755 600, 091 956 570, 091 266 430, 011 862 269, 011 862 804, 04 793 263

Meanwhile, Roy Bennett, who holds a seat in parliament but is serving a one year jail sentence for shoving the justice minister during a parliamentary debate, receives a boost when the electoral commission reverses a previous decision that banned him from running in the elections. Bennett's wife, Heather, will run for the elections in her husband's place.

Morgan Tsvangirai tells 25 000 supporters that he will jail Mugabe's inner circle.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=qw11118238217...
http://www.iol.co.zaindex.phpset_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=vn2005032610355... http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=qw11119287603...

Monday, 28 March

Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Reverend Pius Ncube, enters the election fray by saying that the elections will not be free and fair and calling for a peaceful popular mass uprising against Robert Mugabe's government.

The MMPZ in its daily report says the Herald newspaper is continuing its partisan coverage of political parties' campaigns by reporting only on ZANU PF activities while ignoring those of the main opposition MDC, smaller opposition parties and independent candidates. "This resulted in the paper even ignoring a major MDC rally held at the Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield, whose attendance many observers estimated at around 20,000," said the MMPZ.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=624261
http://www.mmpz.org.zw

Tuesday, 29 March

Mugabe hits back at Ncube, calling him a "halfwit". Mugabe said: "I don't know to which God he prays. His prayers are not as pious as his name suggests apparently. He is ... a halfwit. I don't know why the Vatican tolerates prayers of that nature."

Sokwanele (http://www.sokwanele.com) issues an edition of its regular 'Mauritius Watch' newsletter, concluding that "the elections are deeply flawed, in no way satisfy the SADC principles and guidelines, and cannot possibly be considered free and fair. The conclusion is based on systematic documentation of election violations according to the SADC adoption of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections in Mauritius on 17 August 2004.

Zvakwane (www.zvakwana.org) issues the latest edition of its highly-acclaimed activist newsletter, advocating for peaceful change in Zimbabwe.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=624462

Wednesday, 30 March

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum issues its political violence report for the month of January, saying that the month saw a number of assaults on people who were exercising their constitutional right to freedom of expression, assembly and association. "The Human Rights Forum is deeply concerned that the trend to violate the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly, especially as the Parliamentary elections approach, will lead to the violation of the right to participate freely in the governance of one's country as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 21." Contact [email protected] for the full report.

Robert Mugabe dismisses the MDC as a British 'puppy' and expresses confidence that ZANU-PF will not only win the election, but increase its majority.

Complaints from the MDC about up to one million 'ghost voters' resurface, but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission denies that the voters roll is flawed.

Old tensions over election monitoring teams –teams have in some cases been granted or denied accreditation according to their political affiliations - also come to the fore as the African National Congress (ANC) dominated South African team tells an opposition Democratic Alliance member of the team not to speak his mind.

www.kubatana.net, the homepage of the Zimbabwe NGO Network Alliance Project, updates its website with useful information about the polls and links to further news and information. Over the next few days www.kubatana.net will have photographs of the elections as well as election results and breaking news.

The Zimbabwe NGO Human Rights Forum issues a pre-election report saying that notwithstanding the reduction in violence, the current electoral conditions fall well short of the regional standards for elections introduced by the "SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections" adopted in Mauritius in 2004. Write to [email protected] for a copy of the report. Sokwanele also issues a summary of its Mauritius Watch newsletter.

http:/www.iol.co.zaindex.phpset_id=1&click_idh&art_id=vn20050330064037852C398766 http://www.iol.co.zaindex.phpset_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=vn2005033008025... http://www.iol.co.zaindex.phpset_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn2005033006443...

The latest reports from Zimbabwe indicate a strong turn out on voting day. The MDC reported that one of its candidates in a southern Matabeleland stronghold had disappeared after an attack by ZANU-PF members. Results are expected within the next two days.

* Compiled by Pambazuka News.