Politiques

Heavily armed soldiers have been deployed in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces, a development which human rights organisations fear will revive memories of the massacres in which 20 000 civilians perished .Human rights groups say the soldiers have been deployed to intimidate

According to the Belarus Helsinki Committee, at approximately 3:15 a.m. on 20 December, government personnel arrested ten members of the Viasna Human Rights Center in central Minsk, detaining lawyers - including Valentin Stefanovich and Vladimir Labkovich - who were in the process of analysing data from 600 election observers from across the country. The previous night, the Chairman of Belarus Helsinki Committee, Aleh Hulak, was also arrested and detained by security personnel during a post-election demonstration in Nezavisimosti Square.

The country will go to the polls on 4 August 2010 to elect the country’s 9th Parliament. With election campaigns intensifying, incidents of rivalry were reported from various quarters of the country. This mostly occurs between supporters of candidates and those protesting for instance their omission from the voters’ roll.

 As anticipated, former MPs bear the brunt of much criticism and angst stemming mostly from their handling of slush funds within the last 4 years. This has intensified to the extent of certain former MPs being assaulted on the campaign trail.

The independence of the judiciary has once again come under the limelight in Fiji with sacking of 5 magistrates by the military regime on or about 19 July 2010. Carrying out their functions under bondage of the Military, the judiciary offers citizens the last refuge of hope for asserting their infringed rights.  

While polling has been peaceful throughout the country, the real drama unfolds during counting of ballots. Since the first day of country, tensions and confrontations between supporters of rival candidates have been reported across the country. Most dramatic was the counting done respectively in the provincial centres of Auki in Malaita Province, Lata in Temotu, and Tulaghi in Central Province. Flaring incidents include burning of a packed ballot box, rampaging and ransacking of winner’s shop, stoning of counting centre, and exchange of rocks between rival groups.

On polling day, 100s of voters were denied the right to vote merely because of closing time deadline currently set by law at 5pm. Complains were recorded mostly from densely populated constituencies in urban areas. The issue is attributed mainly to lack of adequate polling booths in the concerned constituencies.

In an election-related incident, a 32-year old was hospitalised after being bashed by his cousin brother for refusing to support a particular candidate.