‘Mugabe Must Learn To Follow The Law On Electoral Issues Although Polls Are Never Perfect’- Bruce Wharton -Outgoing United States Ambassador To Zimbabwe .

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe must learn to follow the law on electoral issues although polls are never perfect, outgoing United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton has said.

In a farewell discussion in which he answered questions from ordinary people and the youth in Harare, Wharton urged government to shift its focus from sanctions to the economy.

Mugabe and some members of his inner circle were slapped with targetted sanctions on allegations of human rights abuses.

“No election is perfect. But we need the Electoral Act here to be followed. The 2013 election was peaceful, that is a big step in the right direction. Elections have been a problem both in Zimbabwe and in the US, for example, the Florida elections. The US government believes the 2013 elections were not credible. Even Patrick Chinamasa the Finance minister admitted that the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe is bigger than sanctions,” Wharton said.

He dismissed claims that the US sanctions have constrained the country’s economic recovery arguing that the meltdown was never a result of sanctions and that America continues to trade with Zimbabwe.

“Sanctions are not the reason Zimbabwe’s economy is performing badly, but rather bad or inconsistent policy decisions by the government. Sanctions are not the problem; no correlation to economic growth,” Wharton said.

“There are more fundamental economic issues that Zimbabwe can focus on other than sanctions. Murkiness in the indigenisation policy is the problem, not the concept itself. On Black Friday when the Zimbabwe dollar value fell by 75%, that was not due to sanctions.”

Wharton called for respect of democratic rights including freedom of speech.

“Freedom from being abducted is a human right. Land and property law needs to be upheld because without these no one will invest. Respect for human rights, to speak freely without concern of retribution, [is important],” he said.

Wharton denied government claims that civil society organisations in Zimbabwe are fronts of the US government funded to facilitate the regime change agenda. Source: newsday-