ONU declara que é «impossível» a realização de eleições livres e justas: A ONU "diz" e o Zimbabwe "desdiz"

Nova Iorque - O Conselho de Segurança da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) declarou na segunda-feira que devido aos actos de violência contra a oposição, não será possível realizar eleições livres e justas no Zimbabué.

«O Conselho de Segurança (CS) lamenta que a campanha de violência e de restrições à oposição tornaram impossível uma eleição livre e justa a ser realizada no dia 27 de Junho», afirma a entidade num comunicado formal que teve também o apoio da África do Sul, da China e da Rússia, nações que antes haviam sido contrárias a permitir que o CS se manifestasse sobre a crise no Zimbabué. O Conselho condena ainda «o comportamento do governo de negar aos opositores políticos o direito de fazer sua campanha livremente». «Essas violências e restrições tornam impossível a realização de uma eleição livre e equitativa em 27 de Junho», destaca o texto, lido pelo embaixador americano na ONU, Zalmay Khalilzad, que preside o Conselho no mês de Junho. O representante do Zimbabué na ONU disse que a segunda volta das eleições acontecerá, apesar do comunicado da entidade. «Pelo que sabemos as eleições serão realizadas na sexta-feira», disse Boniface Chidyausiku aos repórteres.

Zimbabwe ás escura...

Harare - Mozambique’s Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) power utility has suspended supplies to Zimbabwe over unpaid debt, adding more woes to a country in deep recession and grappling with shortages of hard cash, food and every essential commodity. Sources at state-owned Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority Holdings (Zesa Holdings) told Zim Online that HCB switched off supplies to Zimbabwe at the beginning of this month after Zesa Holdings failed to clear an outstanding US$26 million debt that was due last December. "They (HCB) have not been supplying us with power since the 1st of January. They were expecting us to have settled the outstanding debt by December," said a senior Zesa Holdings official, who did not want to be named because he did not have permission from the power utility to speak to journalists. Zesa Holdings’ chief executive officer Ben Rafemoyo confirmed the termination of supplies but insisted his company was in negotiations with the Mozambican energy firm to resume supplies to Zimbabwe. "We are trying to catch up with the ballooning debt. They (HCB) are insisting that we clear what we owe them," Rafemoyo told Zim Online.

HCB’s decision to cut supplies to Zimbabwe is sure to worsen electricity shortages in a country that consumes about 2 200 megawatts per month but can only generate about 1 500 megawatts. The huge power deficit has previously been filled up with imports from South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). However, South Africa’s Eskom power firm has stopped exporting power to Zimbabwe as it battles to meet rising domestic demand, while Zambia and the DRC suspended supplies to Zesa Holdings over unpaid debt. The hard cash-strapped Zesa Holdings’ only response to a burgeoning energy crisis has been to implement a punishing power rationing regime to save on the little electricity available while ensuring key sectors of the economy are supplied. Under the rationing schedule, supplies to domestic consumers can be cut for up to 20 hours a day while power is supplied to industry and other productive sectors. However, the worsening energy crisis is only an addition on a long list of hardships bedevelling Zimbabwe in the grip of an economic meltdown critics blame on repression and wrong policies by President Robert Mugabe. Mugabe, in power since Zimbabwe’s 1980 independence from Britain and seeking another five-year term in elections in March, denies ruining Zimbabwe and instead blames his country’s problems on sabotage by Western governments he says are out to topple him.