Ethics Newsline®

In wake of discredited election, many nations call for sanctions; businesses and institutional investors also expected to turn up heat, say analysts

HARARE, Zimbabwe
In a scenario that has raised fundamental questions about ethics, human rights, and the responsibilities of the international community, Robert Mugabe took the oath of office for a sixth term as Zimbabwe’s president over the weekend. The ceremony followed an election condemned as a sham by, among other nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Mugabe won the runoff election after opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew, citing violence against his supporters, Bloomberg reported. While Tsvangirai won more votes in the first round of polling, a runoff was required since neither he nor Mugabe won an outright majority of the popular vote.

Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since the nation gained independence from Britain in 1980. Critics say his regime is thoroughly corrupt and that he has retained power by intimidation and torture.

In the immediate aftermath of the election, U.S. President George Bush called on the United Nations to impose an international trade embargo on Zimbabwe.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also called for sanctions, reported the London Daily Mail.

Canada condemned the election, with foreign minister David Emerson saying “the government of Zimbabwe’s systematic use of violence and intimidation represents a grave violation of human rights and democratic principles,” reports the Agence France-Presse.

The stance of leaders of various African nations remains unclear. As the Christian Science Monitor reports, while many African leaders have supported Mugabe’s goals of ridding Africa of the vestiges of colonial rule, events at a meeting of African leaders convening this week in Egypt may signal a change.

“We are saying we want the African Union to send troops to Zimbabwe,” Kenya prime minister Raila Odinga said on Saturday, according to the Monitor. “The time has come for the African continent to stand firm in unity to end dictatorship.”

The call was echoed by South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, reports the Monitor, while several East African nations are calling on Mugabe to share power with opposition leaders.

At the same time, many multinational businesses are evaluating their involvement with Zimbabwe, reports the U.K. Guardian: “It’s tough doing business in Zimbabwe. Corporate executives operating in the basket-case economy have so much to worry about: 1,600,000-percent inflation, power and water outages, an unpredictable legal environment and bad politics. And for some managers, things just got harder…Multinational corporations operating in Zimbabwe are increasingly the target of human rights campaigners.”

The paper predicts that institutional investors, who “nowadays ask more questions about governance, ethics, and human rights,” also are likely to turn up the heat for reform.

Sources: Christian Science Monitor, June 30 — Bloomberg, June 29 — AFP, June 29 — Daily Mail, June 29 — Guardian, June 25.

For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Apr. 28 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 17 — Related Newsline story, Aug. 2, 2004 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 22, 2003 — Related Newsline story, Aug. 26, 2002.