"What we've seen is a systematic campaign of violence and intimidation."
-BBC News correspondents on the political climate in Zimbabwe, after traveling undercover for weeks around the country
New reports are coming in to various new outlets concerning the intimate marriage of the military and the ruling party in Zimbabwe's runoff elections. Few realistically expect these elections to be even remotely free and fair; Mugabe's grip on power is tenuous, but his hands are strong, and his grip is braced by all those around him with so much to lose if the old man falls. The army's direct involvement in campaign intimidation and violence is a particularly disturbing turn; as in any nation, the men with the guns are the ones with the true power; if the opposition does, somehow, win the runoff election, this can be quickly nulled by a military coup. The military, at this point, and according to law, should not be taking part in any facet of the election cycle; their involvement is another disturbing turn of events in the tragic story of Zimbabwe. "We are told to vote ZANU-PF, and you have to vote in front of your commanding officer," says a Harare policeman, risking his life in a discreet meeting with journalists.
"It is now clear that Robert Mugabe and his military will use all means necessary to stop them (the opposition)," concludes the BBC report. As is always the case in this part of the world and the rest, it is the lowest common denominator in the situation, the common people, who will continue to suffer at the hands of this messianic anachronism.
