Soames bid to gag Mugabe

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candidates who had not endorsed the referendum vote in favour of the constitution of the Islamic Republic' could not be considered eligible to stand.

The intention of this was to Beni-Sadr of a military conqueror, Tory governor Soames is imposing an imperialist solution on the struggles of His latest efforts have been directed to ensuring that on the one hand Mugabe participates in the elections (essential if they are to have any credibility) but on the other that he participates under the worst possible conditions (essential to prevent his party winning an outright majority in parliament next month).

Campaign materials from Mugabe's ZANU wing of the Patriotic Front have been seized on Soames' orders because 'they incite violence and racial hostility'.

At the same time, tactics to delay Mugabe's return to Zimbabwe were developed in order to force him to accept further political compromises or withdraw from the elections.

For all his fervent denials, Mugabe has clearly complied with the imperialists demands for the release of political opponents detained in Mozambique at a time when thousands of black militants are still being held by the SoamesSmith-Muzorewa adminstration under the extended martial But this is only one short step further along Mugabe's road of political compromise with imperialism.

With Muzorewa frantically claiming that an electoral victory for Mugabe would bring a 'Marxist dictatorship' to Zimbabwe, ZANU (PF), has published its manifesto-a document that essentially has little more in common with socialism and revolutionary Marxism than 'left' manifestos of the British As one leading white capitalist remarked to his fellow exploiters, 'Even if the Patriotic Front-ZANU (PF)-wins the elections, as many people fear, it will not be the end of the world' But for the hundreds of thousands of blacks who gathered on Sunday outside Muzorewa fiercely defend his political actions, his return to Zimbabwe was the arrival of the leader who they believe will serve their interests and meet their demands for an end to oppression and exploitation.

• The essential task of socialists in Zimbabwe remains the battle to break this mass of militant workers and peasants from their illusions in Mugabe's socialist credentials by an uncomprising fight for the programme of revolutionary Marxism against both the proven traitors of the oppressed classes of Zimbabwe and those left forces still wrongly trusted by the militants of the Patriotic

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