Seven members of the Zimbabwe prime minister's party were assaulted Friday by supporters of veteran leader Robert Mugabe, heightening tensions on the eve of a key constitutional referendum. The group from Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was attacked as they were putting up posters in Harare's oldest township of Mbare urging voters to approve the proposed law in Saturday's vote.
The new constitution would curb the presidential powers that Mugabe has enjoyed for decades and lay the groundwork for watershed elections due in July that would end an often acrimonious power-sharing deal between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Although the draft has the backing of both the 89-year-old Mugabe and his rival Tsvangirai and is expected to pass easily, tensions between supporters of the two main parties are seething after a series of bloody elections in the crisis-weary country.
"The attacks are a clear testimony that ZANU-PF wants to embark on acts of violence," said MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora, referring to Mugabe's party. Two of the seven MDC members were seriously wounded in the assault in Mbare. Candidate MP Sten Zvorwadza was hit in the neck with a bottle and punched, MDC officials said. A BBC crew filming the campaign said it was also attacked.
Tsvangirai has been criss-crossing the southern African nation to drum up support for the text which took some three years to draft. He asked religious leaders who visited his office Friday to pray for the country, once one of the richest in Africa but whose fortunes have sunk since independence from Britain in 1980.