Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Closely Watched Election Takes Place in Zimbabwe

Aired March 09, 2002 - 12:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The man who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980 is in the toughest political fight yet. President Robert Mugabe is battling against the leader of the movement for democratic change. Voters in Zimbabwe are casting ballots in a closely watched election. The lines at polling stations are long, and the stakes are high.

We have an update now from CNN's Jeff Koinange. He is joining us live now via videophone from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe -- good afternoon there, Jeff.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good evening from Bulawayo, Fredricka.

A bit of breaking news for you. A short while ago, police fired tear gas into a crowd of voters in the capital, Harare, injuring 33 of them seriously. Now, apparently this crowd was trying to force their way into a polling station. They had been standing in line for 14, 15 hours, didn't get a chance to vote. The polling stations closed about 10, 12 minutes ago. Both parties are trying to negotiate with the electoral commission to extend voting for a couple hours. Nothing has been determined yet.

I know there is a second day of voting tomorrow, but according to people on the ground, they don't think everybody will get to vote tomorrow.

So a lot of confusion right now in Harare. Police reinforcements have arrived at the scene to help calm the crowd, but they are trying to negotiate whether to extend voting.

Right here where we are right now in Bulawayo, about 300 miles south of Harare, lines were very long all day long, but voting was generally quite quiet and calm. Most of the people did get to vote. Again, a second day tomorrow, we are expecting more people to come out.

A bit of problem. A few people were turned back. A woman, in particular, was told her name was not on the voting roll here. In fact, it was in the capital, Harare. She got in her car and drove the 300 miles north. That's how determined people are to vote. It is a constitutional right. They are determined that the end of the day, they want their right to vote. Speaking of not being on the voter's roll here, the president himself, the incumbent, he showed up at a voting station in the capital, Harare. They looked for his name. It wasn't on the voting roll. They looked again. It still wasn't there. His aides quickly made a couple of phone calls to find out what he was at the wrong place. They quickly whisked him away, took him to the right place, eventually he voted. A bit of confusion there with the incumbent trying to vote in the wrong place -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Now, Jeff, there are accusations coming from all sides, particularly the opposition party is blaming the government in part for these long lines, because they are accusing the government of minimizing, reducing the number of polling stations. What are the voters there saying, do they believe that in part, the government has conspired to make this voting process very difficult for people?

KOINANGE: Absolutely. And especially in the capital of Harare and most of the urban areas is mainly opposition territory. So they feel that the government is trying to do this deliberately, so they don't get to vote. However, voting has been extended to Sunday, and hopefully they'll try to negotiate to extend into a third day, so that everybody gets to exercise their right to vote.

But at the moment, they are very angry on the ground. Thousands of people waiting 14, 15 hours still haven't voted -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks very much. We'll be watching that race closely. Thanks very much, Jeff, for coming from Zimbabwe there via videophone.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com