Election battle begins

Campaigning for Zimbabwe's March parliamentary elections got underway this weekend with the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), promising to ease the country's economic woes and withdraw an estimated 11,000 troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Speaking at the MDC's first convention, newly elected party president Morgan Tsvangirai, told delegates that "every part of Zimbabwe [was] ready for change. He added: "Frustration and anger can be transformed into action." Tsvangirai told the convention: "We aim for nothing less than victory at the next elections." The MDC, formed last year as the first serious challenge to the ruling ZANU-PF, groups together a number of trade unions, non-governmental organisations and human rights bodies. Its election manifesto pledges to increase spending on health, education and housing. It also promises to save money by fighting corruption and drastically reducing the number of government ministries. Tsvangirai told delegates that if elected, the MDC would create a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate alleged human rights abuses committed by the security forces in suppressing a dissident campaign in Matabeleland in the 1980s. However, although the MDC is expected to win a number of seats in the 150-member parliament, analysts believe it unlikely that it will be able to overcome the political monopoly held by ZANU-PF since independence in 1980. Meanwhile on Sunday, President Robert Mugabe launched ZANU-PF's election campaign at a rally at Epworth south of the capital Harare with a promise to introduce measures to prevent the collapse of the Zimbabwean dollar. Mugabe said the current foreign exchange shortage was "artificial" and had been caused by exporters banking their money in foreign banks. According to analysts, Zimbabwe's current economic tribulations are likely to dominate the March polls. An estimated 45 percent of Zimbabweans are currently unemployed and inflation is running at about 60 percent.