Zimbabweans are being urged to boycott any early election called by ZANU PF, if the party goes ahead and ignores recent resolutions by leaders in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Such a boycott has been listed as a critical step in gaining momentum towards real democratic change in Zimbabwe, according to the human rights NGO, the Solidarity Peace Trust.

The Trust launched a new report on Zimbabwe in Johannesburg on Wednesday, which details ZANU PF's obvious contempt for the unity government. The 52 page report, titled 'The Hard Road to Reform' was launched together with a 40 minute video, with images of how ZANU PF has refused to honour the Global Political Agreement, including images of renewed violence and intimidation against Zimbabweans.

The report states that since the formation of Zimbabwe's unity government in 2009, the politics of the country have been "convulsed with a recurring set of problems," mainly because ZANU PF has repeatedly obstructed the full implementation of the GPA.

"The agreement was set up to establish the conditions for a free and fair election. However, it was always clear that, in a more determinate sense, it would provide the site for intense struggles over the state between the contending parties, with ZANU PF always in an advantageous position because of its control of the coercive arms of the state," reads the report in part.

It continues: "It is thus not surprising that the Mugabe regime has used its control of the police, security and military sectors to contain the constrained promise of the GPA to open up democratic spaces. It is also clear that both MDCs have made strategic mistakes that have added to the already difficult challenges that confronted them at the outset of the process."

The Trust's Director, political analyst Professor Brian Raftopolous, told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that although though there have been serious limitations around the GPA, and that ZANU PF has moved to obstruct its full implementation, "it is an important mechanism to make ZANU PF accountable."

"Whether in parliament, in cabinet, in the national budget, or to SADC, the GPA has provided some parameters of accountability for a party that is simply not used to any accountability," Raftopolous said.

In its five steps on the way forward, the Trust suggests that the two MDC formations within the unity government, together with civil society, should keep pressure on SADC and the AU, to ensure that recent resolutions by the Troika are enforced "as fully as possible."A recent Troika summit resolved to put in place a proper election roadmap towards credible elections in Zimbabwe, after a meeting that is said to have outraged Mugabe. The Troika also issued a statement with unusually strong criticism of the crisis in Zimbabwe, which observers believe is a positive sign that SADC has finally adopted a tougher stance towards Mugabe.

"Despite his outrage at SADC for breaking ranks with him and ordering his party to stop a crackdown on political opponents, I still think it will be highly unlikely for Mugabe to simply ignore SADC," Raftopolous said.

He added: "But if they decide to ignore SADC call for an early election without SADC approval, then the democratic forces in Zimbabwe must unite in a boycott of such an election and mobilise a campaign for the global isolation of the regime."

By SW radio