Leading pro-gov't newspaper accuses U.S. of seeking to meddle in Zimbabwe's elections

HARARE, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's leading government-controlled newspaper, The Herald, on Thursday accused the United States of openly declaring an interest in the country's forthcoming elections.

The paper said while the United States appeared to be keen on just ensuring that the elections, most likely to be held in August, were free and fair, its intention was to engineer a preferred outcome.

"After arriving in Zimbabwe yesterday, visiting United States deputy assistant secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs, Ambassador Robert Scott, said he is here to influence the forthcoming elections," the paper charged.

The paper said Scott had given little in terms of the purpose of his visit, adding that there were indications that he was also seeking "an unprecedented meeting" with Priscilla Chigumba, the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), in a bid to influence the electoral body.

According to the paper, western countries, including the United States, have set aside 37 million U.S. dollars to sponsor the opposition and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) "in a fresh attempt to subvert the will of the people of Zimbabwe."

It further alleged that two NGOs had already received a total of more than 1 million U.S. dollars from the U.S. Agency for International Development to run parallel voter tabulation, which they called Sample Bases Observations during the elections.

"Meanwhile, some western-sponsored organizations, who are behind the treacherous plot, have already captured some individuals in the election management system and plan an audacious capture of ZEC using the compromised officials," the paper said without mentioning its sources.