HARARE - The political climate in Zimbabwe is not yet conducive to a free and fair general election, which President Robert Mugabe is aiming for by-mid 2011, Britain's top envoy in Harare said on Tuesday.
A severe economic crisis forced Mugabe's ZANU-PF party after a disputed vote in 2008 into a unity government with rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a smaller MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara.
But the crisis has since eased and an increasingly confident Mugabe says he sees no need to extend the life of the coalition, and wants a referendum on a new constitution early next year and general elections by mid-year.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, British ambassador Mark Canning said although the economy was improving, Zimbabwe needed time to work on political reforms, including repealing repressive legislation, opening up the media, introducing new electoral laws, and updating the voter register.
* Reuters
