Communiqué of the General Council of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) held on 21 June 2008 at Quality International Hotel, Harare

WE, the General Council members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), meeting at the Quality International Hotel in Harare today 21 June 2008 to, among other things, discuss the 27 June 2008 Presidential Election Run-off ;

Having Discussed,

* the violent environment prior to the holding the Presidential Election Run Off of 27 June 2008;

* the conduct of political parties during the campaigning period; and

* the State's preparedness for holding a free and fair election

Observing that,

* Political violence in the country has reached alarming if not catastrophic proportions;

* The 27 June Presidential election is not an election, but a declaration of war against the people of Zimbabwe by the ruling party;

* Dozens of people have been murdered due to political motivated violence;

* Thousands of people have been threatened with deaths, beaten, tortured and harassed for expressing or supporting the opposition political party;

* People are being forced to attend political rallies failure of which they are being beaten up;

* There has been deployment and sprouting of several bases led by the ruling party militia that are harassing and perpetrating violence;

* The usual poling officers, that is teachers and other civil servants, have been sidelined in the running of elections in favour of ruling party supporters;

* Thousands of people have been displaced through political violence and thereby unable to vote;

* The State President has made it clear that he will not accept defeat even if he loses the elections.

* Very few local observers have been accredited to oversee the conduct of the elections;

* There has been continuous harassment of workers on their way to and from work by youths militia who have been deployed in suburbs;

* Opposition party agents have been harassed, some killed and therefore unable to monitor what may happen in some wards on the day of the election;

* The opposition has not been granted permission to campaign;

* There is a complete black out of the opposition in the public media and in case where it is mentioned, has always been in negative light;

* Potential voters are being threatened if that they are names would be recorded if they voted for the opposition;

We therefore hereby resolve that:

* The Government immediately disband bases in all suburbs and disband unofficial road blocks manned by the youths militia;

* The government stop violence and allow local observers that were accredited for the March 29, 2008 Harmonised Elections to observe the Presidential Run Off.

* We will not accept an outcome of a flawed election. The ZCTU reserves the right to reject result of a flawed election.