It's war, Mugabe says, as opposition prepares for battle

Mugabe goes to the polls today in Zimbabwe against Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC party and ex-finance minister and independent Simba Makoni.

Mugabe kept his face straight when he announced, "We don't rig elections."

Inflation in Zimbabwe currently runs at 100,000% and eighty percent of the population are unemployed. What does he think he's going to get re-elected on, a wave of popular support for his policies?

He is depicting the fight ahead as a war:

"We must deliver the final blow against the British on March 29," he told one of his final election rallies. "We are in a war situation. This is a time to fight, not pleasure."

He's been delivering final blows to the British for the past twenty eight years so they're obviously a tougher bunch than we imagined.

David Coltart, a parliamentary candidate for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in Bulawayo, told voters in a campaign letter that the election is their "chance to change the course of Zimbabwean history for the better". He added: "Zimbabwe is in such a terrible state that we do not have the luxury of making a mistake. Another five years of Zanu-PF rule will completely destroy Zimbabwe.

"In football terms Zimbabwe was in the premier league in 1980 ... Next season we will not even be able to play because the players have no boots, balls or kit. The goalposts have fallen down and the ground is overgrown."

The situation in Zimbabwe is simply intolerable:

Economists say inflation is probably four times the official figure of 100,000% and is likely to escalate further with the government presses furiously turning out cash to pay for its election campaign and salary increases for disaffected soldiers and civil servants whose income has been wiped out by hyperinflation.

Regular power cuts are likely to give way to no electricity at all, the water supply is drying up and the last of Zimbabwe's factories will close for lack of supplies. Food supplies are scarce and the fields produce only a fraction of Zimbabwe's needs amid a shortage of seeds, fertiliser and irrigation. Many more people will leave the country.

I don't care what anyone says, if Mugabe wins that election, the fix is in. How can the four fifths of your population who are unemployed vote for the man who did this to their country?

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Tags: Mugabe, Zimbabwe, elections, Morgan Tsvangirai, Simba Makoni