17mar02

PRIME Minister John Howard should act immediately to impose sanctions on the re-elected Mugabe government in Zimbabwe, the federal opposition said.

Zimbabwe's longtime ruler Robert Mugabe, having won another six years in office, was re-inaugurated president today under a cloud of international opprobrium.

Mugabe, 78, was on Wednesday declared the victor over opposition challenger Morgan Tsvangirai, 50, who had been tipped to defeat the aging liberation war hero in a free and fair election.

But the polling was preceded by weeks of political violence, and the vote itself was marred by widespread irregularities documented by observers.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd has spent the past two weeks in Zimbabwe, working with groups of Commonwealth observers that found the election was not free and fair.

"Having spent the better part of two weeks there (Zimbabwe), what I have seen on the ground is genuinely ugly," he said after flying into Sydney today.

"What I have seen and the local people with whom I have spoken, there is no way on earth that election could ever be described as free and fair.

"Despite difficult negotiations we have achieved a virtual consensus document which is strong and robust in its language on these elections," he said.

Mr Howard will fly to London tomorrow for a meeting with the presidents of South Africa and Nigeria which will decide whether the Commonwealth takes any action against Zimbabwe.

Mr Rudd said the Prime Minister must take action immediately to impose sanctions on the Mugabe regime.

"He must now implement Australian targeted sanctions against the Mugabe regime which join the actions of the European Union and the United States.

"This should have happened weeks ago and it must happen now," he said.

Mr Rudd urged the prime minister to push for broader sanctions.

"Mr Howard should use his trip to London to bring about Commonwealth-wide targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe so that the international personal financial transactions and international personal travel of members of the regime are targeted.," he said.

Mr Rudd said the opposition had been calling for action since January.