[ 2013-03-16 ]

Armed kidnapping mars Zimbabwe constitution vote
HARARE (AFP) - Gunmen abducted an ally of
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on
Saturday, his party said, as the country voted on
a new constitution amid seething political
tensions.

Samson Magumura, a regional official from
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, was
seized at his home southeast of Harare shortly
before dawn, according to party spokesman Douglas
Mwonzora.

"Our district secretary for Headlands was
kidnapped this morning. He was taken from his home
by armed people," Mwonzora told AFP.

Magumura's whereabouts remain unknown.

The MDC suggested his assailants, four armed men
driving a white four wheel drive, where linked to
President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

The gunmen also seized a telephone from Magumura's
wife during the attack, the party said.

The incidents of violence came as polls opened in
a key referendum on a new constitution that would
curb 89-year-old Mugabe's powers and pave the way
for fresh elections.

The text is supported by both Mugabe and
Tsvangirai. A "yes" vote is widely expected but
political tensions seethed beneath the surface.

Casting his ballot a few hours after polls opened,
Tsvangirai expressed hope that a positive outcome
would help catapult the country out of crisis.

"I hope it sets in a political culture where we
move from a culture of impunity to a culture of
constitutionalism," he said.

Around six million eligible voters are expected to
cast ballots at 9,456 polling stations dotted
across the impoverished southern African country.

Official results of the referendum are expected to
be released within five days of the vote. Polling
stations will close at 1700 GMT.

But turnout was slow at many polling stations
early on Saturday.

School teacher Petronella Dzikiti said she voted
in favour of the new constitution, in part because
it would introduce presidential term limits.

"We don't want a situation like we have today,
where some of us knew one leader as a child who
remains there when we are grown-ups," the
36-year-old said outside a polling station in
Chitungwiza, near the capital.

The new constitution would for the first time put
a definite, if distant, end date on Mugabe's
33-year rule.

Presidents would be allowed to serve two terms of
five years each, meaning that, elections
permitting, Mugabe could rule until 2023, by which
time he would be 99-years-old.

The text would also strip away presidential
immunity after leaving office and bolster the
independence and power of parliament and the
courts.

It would also set up a peace and reconciliation
commission to take care of post-conflict justice
and healing.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai's joint support for the
draft constitution has resulted in an uneasy
truce.

Two people died in separate firebomb attacks in
the run-up to the referendum, while several MDC
members, including a parliamentary candidate, were
beaten up on the eve of the vote as they were
putting up posters backing the draft
constitution.

The authorities have also been accused of
targeting pro-democracy groups by arresting their
leaders and seizing equipment.

But violence has not approached the levels seen in
the disputed 2008 election, when at least 180
people were killed and 9,000 injured in unrest
that prompted the international community to force
Mugabe and Tsvangirai into a coalition
government.

A general election slated for July is likely to
end that often acrimonious power-sharing
arrangement.

Rights groups fear the government harassment seen
ahead of the referendum vote could be a prelude to
a more serious crackdown on opponents in the
run-up to the general election.

Observers also fear there will not be enough time
to apply all the necessary reforms to ensure a
healthier political environment before the next
elections.

They also say people have not had much opportunity
to debate and digest the text before voting,
leaving citizens in the dark about what the vote
will mean for the country.

In Harare's flashpoint township of Mbare, where
violence broke out on Friday, Felistas Muridhini
was one was one of dozens lining up to vote.

The 34-year-old mother said she had voted in
favour of the draft.

"I have been following the drafting of the
constitution. I voted yes, because I was acting on
my party's orders," she said.

The National Constitutional Assembly, a
non-governmental group, wants to see the new
constitution rejected, arguing that if anything it
grants Mugabe more unfettered powers than before.

"This draft constitution is an insult to the
people," said the group's leader Lovemore Madhuku.

Source - AFP

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