Comments on: Will Mugabe steal the Zimbabwe election? http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/ "I accept no responsibility for statistics, which are a form of magic beyond my comprehension." -- Robertson Davies Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:05:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Magic Statistics http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/comment-page-1/#comment-22843 Magic Statistics Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:21:04 +0000 http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/#comment-22843 <strong>It’s official: Zimbabwe’s ruling party has lost Parliament...</strong> Results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission show that Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party has lost control of the country’s House of Assembly.  There is still no word on results of presidential voting. Zimbabwe’s official el... It’s official: Zimbabwe’s ruling party has lost Parliament…

Results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission show that Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party has lost control of the country’s House of Assembly.  There is still no word on results of presidential voting.
Zimbabwe’s official el…

]]> By: david http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/comment-page-1/#comment-22827 david Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:48:51 +0000 http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/#comment-22827 The only truly honest reflection of the Zimbabwean people's will in the last decade came with the rejection of a Mugabe sponsored national referendum promoting increased power for the president and his ruling party. Mugabe expected to win that vote and thus had not made provisions to falsify the referendum results. That is when Mugabe woke up to reality. Democratic means were not going to keep him in power. Since then Mugabe has stolen two elections through murder, intimidation, media manipulation and dishonest electoral practices. In 2008 he has adopted new tactics. He has allowed some media presence for opposition players. He has scaled down the intimidation. The number of murders is way lower. But he has upped his abuse of the election: - the voters' roll; constituency demarcation; confusing the electorate; loyalists voting more than once; printing extra ballots; changing polling station results to allow party members to maintain seats, falsifying results in at least fifty percent of the national constituencies. Despite this 'rigging' Mugabe has won less than forty percent of the 2008 vote. It is naive to think that Mugabe would go to these lengths in order to concede. He will shortly declare himself the victor. Will Zimbabwe stand up to the dishonest dictator? If so there will be a bloodbath. If not, Zimbabwe will limp along its impoverished path.... until the next time. It's all a trifle sad. The only truly honest reflection of the Zimbabwean people’s will in the last decade came with the rejection of a Mugabe sponsored national referendum promoting increased power for the president and his ruling party.
Mugabe expected to win that vote and thus had not made provisions to falsify the referendum results.
That is when Mugabe woke up to reality. Democratic means were not going to keep him in power.
Since then Mugabe has stolen two elections through murder, intimidation, media manipulation and dishonest electoral practices.
In 2008 he has adopted new tactics.
He has allowed some media presence for opposition players. He has scaled down the intimidation. The number of murders is way lower. But he has upped his abuse of the election: – the voters’ roll; constituency demarcation; confusing the electorate; loyalists voting more than once; printing extra ballots; changing polling station results to allow party members to maintain seats, falsifying results in at least fifty percent of the national constituencies.
Despite this ‘rigging’ Mugabe has won less than forty percent of the 2008 vote.
It is naive to think that Mugabe would go to these lengths in order to concede.
He will shortly declare himself the victor.
Will Zimbabwe stand up to the dishonest dictator?
If so there will be a bloodbath.
If not, Zimbabwe will limp along its impoverished path…. until the next time.
It’s all a trifle sad.

]]> By: Magic Statistics http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/comment-page-1/#comment-22815 Magic Statistics Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:57:14 +0000 http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/#comment-22815 <strong>Zimbabwe opposition claims victory...</strong> Uncertainty and confusion reign in the wake of yesterday’s election in Zimbabwe.  This morning the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) declared victory on the basis of partial returns.  This was done in defiance of a pre-ele... Zimbabwe opposition claims victory…

Uncertainty and confusion reign in the wake of yesterday’s election in Zimbabwe.  This morning the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) declared victory on the basis of partial returns.  This was done in defiance of a pre-ele…

]]> By: Alan http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/comment-page-1/#comment-22787 Alan Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:32:08 +0000 http://magicstatistics.com/2008/03/29/will-mugabe-steal-the-zimbabwe-election/#comment-22787 Hummm, sounds like the ACC's General Synod O7 ;-) Hummm, sounds like the ACC’s General Synod O7 ;-)

]]>