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The Zimbabwe Elections: Opposition Accuses Mugabe of Rigging
the Vote
Taliban Country: Afghanistan 3 1/2 Years After the U.S. Invasion
A Look At The Legacy of Pope John Paul II
The Zimbabwe Elections: Opposition Accuses Mugabe
of Rigging the Vote
Yesterday, parliamentary elections took place in Zimbabwe.
Reports from the country say that the elections went off relatively
peacefully. And for the first time- the opposition party,
Movement for Democratic Change, was able to campaign openly.
The party is the first to seriously challenge President Mugabe's
government since Zimbabwe won independence in 1980. [includes
rush
transcript]
But even before the election, the leader of the Movement
for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangiari charged that the
election was rigged. He said "we are not happy with the
way the electoral playing field has been organized...This
is not going to be a free and fair election."
Opposition leaders and human rights groups claim that the
voter roles were inaccurate and that many who tried to vote
were turned away. They also point to widespread fear and intimidation
before the voting began. President Mugabe dismissed these
complaints calling the elections completely free- and the
Movement for Democratic Change a pawn of British Prime Minister
Tony Blair and other Western governments. Mugabe stated that
he was "entirely, completely, totally optimistic"
of victory for his Zimbabwe African National Union -Patriotic
Front party. He called the election the "anti-Blair election."
Mugabe also dismissed the accusations of vote fraud. At a
pre-election rally on Wednesday Mugabe told supporters "They
know they will lose. They have prepared themselves to say
the elections were not free and fair because of this and because
of that." We are joined on the phone by two people in
Zimbabwe who have been following the election results - Dumisani
Muleya is the news editor for the Zimbabwe Independent and
Omowale Clay is an activist with the December 12th movement.
- Omowale Clay, speaking from Harare, Zimbabwe where he
observed Monday's election. He is a member of the December
12th Movement International Secretariat
- Margaret Lee, visiting scholar as the African Studies
Program of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International
Studies (SAIS)
Taliban Country: Afghanistan 3 1/2 Years After the
U.S. Invasion
We talk to Sonali Kolhatkar, co-Director of the Afghan Women's
Mission and filmmaker, Carmela Baranowska who was embedded
with 800 U.S. Marines in one of the most remote and dangerous
parts of Afghanistan. She made a film called Taliban Country
which is a disturbing expose of American actions in that country.
Earlier this week, First Lady Laura Bush made a surprise
visit to Afghanistan. Mrs. Bush was surrounded by heavy security
and spent a total of six hours on the ground. She met with
women training to be teachers at Kabul University, U.S troops
at Bagram Air Base and President Hamid Karzai.
Mrs. Bush, a former teacher and librarian, thanked the troops
for ousting the Taliban. She said "thanks to you, millions
of little girls are going to school in this country, little
girls who were denied an education just three years ago."
Mrs. Bush also announced plans for the U.S to build an American
University of Afghanistan and an International School of Afghanistan
for children to receive a western style education. Though
President Bush often cites the country as a symbol of success
and on the road to democracy, he has has never been to Afghanistan.
We are joined in studio by the co-Director of the Afghan
Women"s Mission, Sonali Kolhatkar. Sonali recently returned
from a trip to Afghanistan. We are also joined in our New
York Studio by filmmaker, Carmela Baranowska. In June of 2004,
Carmela was embedded with eight hundred US Marines in one
of the most remote and dangerous parts of Afghanistan. She
made a film called Taliban Country which is a disturbing expose
of American actions in that country. Here are a few excerpts
from the film
- Sonali Kolhatkar, host of the popular Pacifica Radio
Show, Uprising on KPFK. She is also co director of the Afghan
Women's Mission, a group that works in solidarity with Afghans
to help improve health and educational facilities for Afghan
refugees in Pakistan.
- Carmela Baranowska, an award-winning film maker of "Taliban
Country." She has just completed a 12-city tour of
the US screening her film and addressing audiences on East,
Midwest, South and West coasts.
- "Taliban Country", excepts from Carmela Baranowska's
new film.
A Look At The Legacy of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II is in what the Vatican describes as very
grave condition and has been administered the last rites after
suffering heart failure yesterday. The 84-year-old Pope reportedly
decided himself not to go to the hospital.
According to the Vatican, he is still "conscious, lucid
and tranquil. The Vatican said that the pontiff asked aides
to read him the biblical passage describing the final stage
of the Way of the Cross, the path that Jesus took to his crucifixion.
This latest health crisis - only a day after doctors fitted
him with a feeding tube - was set off on Thursday by a urinary
tract infection. That infection, the Vatican said on Thursday,
caused a high fever in the already frail and weakened pope,
who has suffered for more than a decade from Parkinson's disease.
The last time he is known to have been administered last
rites was on May 13, 1981, after he was shot by a would-be
assassin in St. Peter's Square, almost three years after he
was chosen pope.
We are joined now on the phone by Tom Cornell, an Editor
of the Catholic Worker newspaper. He is a founder of the Catholic
Peace Fellowship and was one of the first people to burn his
draft card in protest of the Vietnam War. He is co-editor
of the book "A Penny A Copy: Readings From the Catholic
Worker."And we are joined by Robert Ellsberg, the Editor
in chief of Orbis Books. In the mid 1970s he was the managing
editor of the Catholic Worker newspaper. He is author of the
book All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets and
Witnesses For Our Times. He also happens to be the son of
Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame. Robert Ellsberg,
let's begin with you.
- Tom Cornell, Editor of the Catholic Worker newspaper.
He is a founder of the Catholic Peace Fellowship and was
one of the first people to burn his draft card in protest
of the Vietnam War. He is co-editor of the book "A
Penny A Copy: Readings From the Catholic Worker."
- Robert Ellsberg, Editor in chief of Orbis Books. In the
mid 1970s he was the managing editor of the Catholic Worker
newspaper. He is author of the book All Saints: Daily Reflects
on Saints, Prophets and Witnesses For Our Times. He also
happens to be the son of Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers
fame.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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