In what could be an indication of using fear and intimidation tactics to coerce the vote, the soldiers serving in Zimbabwe’s military has been given an ultimatum by Major General Martin Chedondo, the Army’s Chief of Staff.
To Chedondo, the military is obligated to protect the principles of Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe. It would seem to Major General Chedondo that the principles of Mugabe is far more important that the state of Zimbabwe. Chedondo and other generals have made a vow not to support Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition candidate and leader for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Party.
In short, the troops can either vote for Mugabe or leave the military.
Recently, Grace Mugabe, the second and current wife to President Mugabe said that Tsvangirai will never take power. She added that it would not matter if Tsvangirai ends up winning the run-off election.
Mugabe and his supporters have accused Tsvangirai and the MDC of being puppets for Britain and the other Western nations. He said it was all a conspiracy to remove him from power and reestablish an “imperialist” influence on the country.
In a sense, this does mirror the situation in Burma. Just days before the country Burma was ravaged by Cyclone Nargis, a referendum for the constitution would be voted on. There was only a “Yes” vote present. Voting for the referendum was not optional. Everybody had to vote or face the consequences. Military officers and officials were threatened to be dismissed if they didn’t vote.
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