Mugabe tries to kill democracy in Zimbabwe

Not satisfied to arrest opposition leaders on trumped-up charges of treason, to shut down the free press and to instigate violence against all who disagree with him, Zimbabwe's de facto dictator Robert Mugabe has demonstrated that even without absolute power he can corrupt the democratic process absolutely. The elections held over the weekend in the African nation are all the proof anyone needs that Mugabe's regime is determined to eliminate all the last little vestiges of democracy. International political sanctions are a necessity.
Oh yes, the results of the election? Surprise, surprise! Mugabe won. As if there were any doubt.
Officially, Mugabe had about 56 percent of the vote, while his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai had 42 percent. The other 2 percent, election officials said, were for other candidates and spoiled ballots.
But if you were to ask international observers monitoring the balloting, they would tell you that "won" is spelled "s-t-o-l-e-n." Thousands of ballots may have been destroyed or not counted. Thousands more citizens were prevented from voting.
Of course, Zimbabwean officials deny there were any irregularities in the election. No violence, no thug-inflicted beatings on those who planned to vote against Mugabe, no tear gas at the polling places in areas favoring the opposition, no fraud.
Every step flawed: Despite such assurances, Kare Vollan, head of the 25-member Norwegian observer mission, said the mission, the largest European delegation, found flaws with every step of the electoral process from voter registration and campaigning to the actual vote. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Mugabe's government had led a campaign of & quot;violence and intimidation designed to achieve one outcome, power at all costs. & quot;
Mugabe's election gives him another six-year term. He has already ruled for 22 years. Thus, with the brutal repression of all who oppose him, the muzzling of journalists not affiliated with government news agencies, and the passage of laws that make any criticism of the government a treasonous offense, no one would expect the strongman to voluntarily relinquish power.
Walter Kansteiner, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, said the United States would consider further sanctions against Mugabe and his government.
However, a tough response to Mugabe has to come from more than the United States, Britain and the European Union. If African nations don't condemn the events in Zimbabwe and isolate him politically, he will have little incentive to change.
Progress in Africa can only be achieved by stable, democratic governments. Surely by now, the continent has seen the folly of behaving like the native ostriches. Neither AIDS, nor dictators, nor cross-border wars have disappeared when heads are metaphorically buried in the sand -- nor will this latest assault on millions of Africans.