[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1337 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1337
Condemning the decision by the Government of Zimbabwe to hold the run-
off presidential election on June 27, 2008.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 10, 2008
Mr. Schiff (for himself, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Dreier, Mr.
Fattah, Ms. Tsongas, and Mr. Hinchey) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the decision by the Government of Zimbabwe to hold the run-
off presidential election on June 27, 2008.
Whereas President Robert Mugabe, leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union-
Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), has controlled Zimbabwe for the past 28
years;
Whereas since 1998 Zimbabwe's economic output has decreased 40 percent and its
unemployment is estimated at more than 80 percent;
Whereas deteriorating social, economic, and political conditions within the
country have caused approximately 3,000,000 citizens to leave Zimbabwe
and seek refuge in neighboring nations;
Whereas according to the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC), Morgan Tsvangirai,
leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won 47.8 percent of
the vote during the presidential elections on March 29, 2008, and
President Mugabe won 43.2 percent;
Whereas according to the ZEC, since neither candidate won over 50 percent, a
runoff was declared;
Whereas President Mugabe made statements declaring his refusal to step down
regardless of the March 2008 or runoff election results;
Whereas over 900 people have been tortured and 87 confirmed dead since the
announcement of a second round of elections;
Whereas over 300 persons from the MDC have been arrested and detained since the
first round of elections;
Whereas the escalating violence and resistance from the ZANU-PF has forced
Tsvangirai to pull out of the race and seek refuge at the Dutch embassy;
Whereas the death toll, violence, and instability in Zimbabwe only continue to
intensify;
Whereas United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked Zimbabwe to
postpone its run-off elections stating that a vote during the current
conditions would ``lack all legitimacy'';
Whereas during the second round of elections on June 27, 2008, many Zimbabweans
were forced to go to the polls after being intimidated and threatened by
militia forces;
Whereas Tsvangirai spoke out against the elections and encouraged his supporters
to vote only if their lives were in danger;
Whereas news agencies such as CNN were barred from entering Zimbabwe and
reporting on the second round of elections;
Whereas, on June 29, 2008, in a sham proceeding, Robert Mugabe was sworn in as
President of the Republic of Zimbabwe having declared himself the winner
of the run-off election;
Whereas since the second round of elections over 500 Zimbabweans have been
forced to take refuge at foreign embassies and it has been estimated
that 20 more MDC supporters have been killed;
Whereas opposition leaders, international observers and heads of state,
including United States President George W. Bush, have denounced the
results of the election calling it a ``sham'';
Whereas the G8 leaders have spoken out against the violence in Zimbabwe and have
decided to impose targeted sanctions against members of the Zimbabwean
Government who are ``responsible for violence'';
Whereas the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC)
have been engaged in efforts to help end the violence in Zimbabwe by
appointing a mediator and contributing other resources, including
election observers;
Whereas G8 leaders have called for a special United Nations Security Council
envoy to report on the situation in Zimbabwe and help mediate along with
Thabo Mbeki, the SADC appointed mediator;
Whereas President Mugabe is in violation of his obligation to the AU, breaking
several of the principles outlined in article 3 and article 4 of the
AU's Constitutive Act; and
Whereas Zimbabwean citizens, especially as members of the AU, have a right to
democratic freedoms, fundamental human rights, good governance, and a
just rule of law: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the decision by the Government of Zimbabwe to
hold the run-off presidential election on June 27, 2008;
(2) states that in the absence of a free and fair vote in a
run-off election, the legitimacy of the Mugabe regime has been
so seriously undermined that Robert Mugabe must step down;
(3) stands ready to work with the President of the United
States and the international community to enhance United States
political, diplomatic, and economic sanctions against the
government of Robert Mugabe;
(4) calls upon the Government of Zimbabwe to engage in
dialogue with the leadership of the Movement for Democratic
Change for the purpose of forming an interim government of
national unity that will work to schedule a new presidential
election as soon as practicable;
(5) calls upon the Government of Zimbabwe to allow full and
unrestricted access for international humanitarian
organizations and human rights monitors and to take all
necessary steps to ensure their safety and their ability to
operate without hindrance;
(6) calls upon the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure full
and unrestricted access for international journalists and to
take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of international
and local journalists and their ability to operate without
hindrance;
(7) calls upon the African Union, consistent with its
charter, to take immediate steps to sanction politically,
diplomatically, and economically the government of Robert
Mugabe;
(8) calls upon the Southern African Development Community,
consistent with its charter, to take immediate steps to
sanction politically, diplomatically, and economically the
government of Robert Mugabe;
(9) urges the Government of the Republic of South Africa to
press the government of Robert Mugabe to engage in dialogue
with the leadership of the Movement for Democratic Change for
the purpose of forming an interim government of national unity
that will work to schedule a new presidential election as soon
as practicable; and
(10) calls upon the United Nations Security Council to take
immediate steps to end the violence in Zimbabwe, impose an
immediate arms embargo on Zimbabwe, and press the government of
Robert Mugabe to engage in dialogue with the leadership of the
Movement for Democratic Change for the purpose of forming an
interim government of national unity that will work to schedule
a new presidential election as soon as practicable.
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