AS Rhodesian jets sweden.
with its election result. Since all parties opposed to the internal settlement' are banned the vote was bound to favour the status quo.
But even more important ANT TO AS BE HURTLE - 101 per cent in Mashonaland as a whole, the northern region which Includes Salistury. Mashonaland Ceotral the figure was as high as 108.1 percent.
The British press views with equanimity this cridence of widespread electoral frand. The same papers which are sneeringly self-righteous announcements of a 99.9 per cent poll in the Soviet Union or 1ГДА (which Is theoretically ossible) argi British governme should now recognise Rhodesian regime.
Ballot-rigging simplest thing in the world. With the entire country under a State of Emergency, and with no electoral roll, white farmers drove truckloads of their black employees to the polls under the watchful eye of the security Whether the fraud carried out by taking people to vote more than once or simply darkened the sky RICHARD CARYER reports on various aspects of Ion Smith's elections. The picture on this page is of by fiddling the figures we shall - and it hardly matters.
But even easier than petrating the deceit was selling it to the world. The decision fo lift censorship of foreign press reports was since journalists had no control over where they couli go or In what they could see.
For most British papers these constraints were unnecessary. Repeated Rhodesian raids on neighbouring countries, which have continued throughout the election period, have provoked little Even commando raid on Lasaka, the Zambian capital, eared more least praise for its military dexterity than condemnation brutal disregard of national the sovereignly.
Rhodesia is now in a state of the undeclared war with Mozamhique and Zambia.
Imagine press reaction to, say, a raid by Italian commandos on Paris and the racism of the coverage of the war in Africa becomes clear.
And so much concern was being expended on alleged was Patriotic Front disruption of the poll that few pupers could find much space for the arrest Anti-Apartheid executive on a visit to Zambia this month.
Al a press conference in over | of large numbers of ZAPU members the day before voting Most of those who did mention it could bothered to report the Patriotic Front figure of 1000 arrests, preferring to believe Rhodesian goverment statements. And по-опе commented Implications of this massive crackdown for the democrucy of the election.
The Smith regime hus won a temporary victory by holding the election and ensuring the victory of Bishop Muzorewa now the white regime's favourHe son.
But its first problem is that voted for the Bishop are not a reliable base of support. More than anything theirs was a vote for reconciliation Patriotic Front -whut either Smith or Muzorewa Intend.
The success of the election hiages on international recogstion for the new government. But even the most rabid Tories recognise a regime which is so for its Inherently unstable, particularly given the Inevitable British trade with black Africa.
Nevertheless, Just instinct tells them Smith, while Labour is lined up opinion in all-party neo-colonial settlementAll the sigas are that the Rhodesian crisis will soon be coming home to Whitehall where it all began.
Movement's | *Air pilot's helmet. Frerant Meters Lid, Bangor, not be CHIL USE the - which is not unpopular and repercussions every Tory to back imperialist THE British Press und the Tory FA CAPTURED form - as do other selllement
----- pull-quotes -----
neighbouring Zambia, bombing and strafing, 108.1 per cent of the electors of Mashonaland Central were casting their votes in the 'internal settlement" election.
foreign arms used by the Rhodesian forces and captured by the Patriotic Front (seestory below), It was taken by MAI PALMBERG of the African Groups of