Mugabe’s Prisoner

Nearly three weeks have passed since Zimbabweans went to the polls to choose their president, and still no winner has been announced. Projections from an independent monitoring group indicate that incumbent Robert Mugabe lost to challenger Morgan Tsvangirai, but with the authoritarian leader refusing to concede defeat, the country remains in a state of tension and uncertainty. Dileepan Sivapathasundaram, an American with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), was working  in Zimbabwe in the lead-up to the election. When he tried to leave the country April 3, he was arrested and interrogated by Zimbabwean authorities; he was released just last Wednesday, after six days of detention. He spoke with NEWSWEEK's Barrett Sheridan about his ordeal and the situation in Zimbabwe. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Why did you go to Zimbabwe, and what did you hope to accomplish there?
Dileepan Sivapathasundaram: I've been going to Zimbabwe routinely over the last year and a half, two years. This last trip in particular was the culmination of our work with local civic groups in the country. In particular, we looked to strengthening their capacity in monitoring the elections, which is work that NDI does with other groups in 70 countries around the world.

So you were there in a training capacity?
Primarily. Training and planning. Sort of helping these groups organize themselves around how to monitor the elections, what to look for--both during the election and, more importantly, actually, the pre-election environment.

And the goal was for them to spot any irregularities or tampering.
A lot of it is instilling confidence in the electoral process. Having an observer around the polling stations provides a level of support and comfort for voters on Election Day. Observers also look at the counting and tabulation that occurs on voting day, as well.

Did the groups you worked with report any harassment or intimidation?
The local civic groups we worked with have a number of different reports they've released. According to these civic groups, the election did come across peacefully, with limited incidences of violence. But what is important to note is the pre-election environment left a lot to be desired, according to these civic groups.

How so?
There are two or three main issues. For example, the voter's roll had not been updated in an appropriate or effective manner, so these civic groups were concerned with whether everyone who was registered to vote actually appeared on the rolls. Secondly, some civic groups were concerned about whether there was free and fair access to the media for all political parties. And third, [there were problems with] the ability of the citizens to associate and assemble freely in accordance with Zimbabwean law and international standards.