HARARE – Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called for an inter-party political agreement on free and fair elections, repeating he will boycott polls held in an environment of violence and human rights abuses.

Speaking in Harare days after a meeting of the regional SADC body that was expected to discuss a possible roadmap to democratic elections in Zimbabwe failed to take place last weekend, Tsvangirai said the country’s political leaders should come up with clear benchmarks for a free and fair poll.

"The country is better off if the political leadership (were) to come up with a roadmap with clear benchmarks of what the conditions of that election will be," said Tsvangirai, speaking at a Harare church on Monday night.

Tsvangirai, who before his Monday speech had already declared he would not participate in elections that are violent, said: “We have stated that we do not want to be part of any war (electoral violence). We want people to elect their government freely.”

Both Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe have called for elections next year to choose a new government to replace their uneasy coalition administration.

But there are growing fears that political violence – resurgent in many parts of the country – could worsen once a new vote is called, especially because the unity government has done little or nothing to achieve national healing and reconciliation or to reform the security forces blamed of masterminding violence in previous elections.

Mugabe and his ZANU PF party have sought to cast Tsvangirai’s concerns about political violence as fear of defeat at the polls and sign that his MDC-T party was not ready for elections.

But Tsvangirai said his party was ready for elections, however it would not take part in a vote in which the will of the electorate will not be upheld.

"We will go to any election, but (the question is) what kind of an election? Is it a credible, legitimate one or.. an election which does not respect the will of the people," said Tsvangirai, who in 2008 boycotted a second round presidential ballot citing state-sponsored attacks against his supporters.

Tsvangirai had been widely tipped to win the run-off election after beating Mugabe in the first round ballot. His withdrawal allowed Mugabe to win uncontested.

But the veteran President’s blood-soaked victory was rejected by the international community including some of his African allies forcing him to agree to form a power-sharing government with Tsvangirai and Deputy Primer Minister Arthur Mutambara.

By Zimonline