NO GRM REACTION TO ZIM ELECTION RESULTS;

C O N F I D E N T I A L MAPUTO 000406 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL MZ ZI SUBJECT: NO GRM REACTION TO ZIM ELECTION RESULTS; OPPOSITION SUGGESTS FRAUD REF: MAPUTO 371 Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Matthew Roth, Reasons 1.4(b+d) ¶1. (U) The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's delayed release of results from the March 29 presidential elections was met with minimal official reaction locally. The GRM has yet to make an official statement, aside from a brief public comment in mid-April by a Vice Minister for Foreign Relations, urging that results be released and respected. In contrast, Mozambican civil society appears increasingly active. On the heels of a well-attended roundtable for Mozambican civil society on Zimbabwe in late April (reftel),the Human Rights League (LDH),one of the most respected NGOs in Mozambique, held a press conference highlighting Zimbabwe. LDH representatives expressed concern about the effect the situation in Zimbabwe could have on regional stability, questioned the role of SADC in mediating the standoff, condemned Chinese arms shipments destined for Zimbabwe, and criticized the Mozambican government,s policy of supporting SADC's 'quiet diplomacy.' ¶2. (C) Raul Domingos, leader of the small opposition party of Peace Democracy and Development (PPD),told poloffs on May 5 that ZANU-PF always sent its party faithful from Zimbabwe's Manicaland province to vote for Mozambique's ruling party FRELIMO in elections in adjoining Manica district. In his opinion, FRELIMO almost certainly sent voters to Zimbabwe for the March 29 elections there. He said the common tribal languages across the border and lax voter registration procedures made it very easy for voters on both sides to slip across the border without detection in order to vote. ¶3. (C) The Charge, newly-appointed Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi, and Presidential advisor Renato Matusse discussed Zimbabwe on April 30. Matusse repeated the same old arguments, how the Zimbabwe crisis hurt Mozambique but that the African way was to work in private and not in public. When asked what Mozambique was doing in private, Matusse did not respond. Baloi did not participate in the discussion. During a May 1 conversation with the Charge, Baloi noted that he did not want to discuss Zimbabwe with Matusse present. The Foreign Minister was still collecting information, he said, about the situation in Zimbabwe, and therefore did not want to discuss it with Guebuza that night as Matusse had wanted. Baloi would be traveling with Guebuza to Chile May 6-9 and thought that would be the time to discuss the issue in depth. The Charge sent to Minister Baloi links to Zimbabwean websites chronicling the violence, which he later said he found useful. We intend to follow-up with Minister Baloi next week to see if there has been any evolution in GRM policy on Zimbabwe. Chapman