IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1301 

Calling upon the Government of Zimbabwe to postpone the run-off presidential 

election scheduled for Friday, June 27, 2008. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 24, 2008 

Mr. SCHIFF submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling upon the Government of Zimbabwe to postpone the 

run-off presidential election scheduled for Friday, June 

27, 2008. 

Whereas President Robert Mugabe, leader of the Zimbabwe 

African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), has 

controlled Zimbabwe for the past 28 years; 

Whereas since 1998 Zimbabwe’s economic output has decreased 40 percent and its unemployment is estimated at 

more than 80 percent; 

Whereas deteriorating social, economic, and political conditions within the country have caused approximately 

3,000,000 citizens to leave Zimbabwe and seek refuge in 

neighboring nations; 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
2 

•HRES 1301 IH 

Whereas according to the Zimbabwe Election Commission 

(ZEC), Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for 

Democratic Change (MDC) won 47.8 percent of the vote 

during the presidential elections on March 29, 2008, and 

President Mugabe won only 43.2 percent; 

Whereas according to the ZEC, since neither candidate won 

over 50 percent, a runoff was declared; 

Whereas President Mugabe has made statements declaring 

his refusal to step down regardless of the March 2008 

election results or runoff; 

Whereas over 900 people have been tortured and 87 confirmed dead since the announcement of a second round 

of elections; 

Whereas over 300 persons from the MDC have been arrested 

and detained since the first round of elections; 

Whereas the escalating violence and resistance from the 

ZANU–PF has forced Tsvangirai to pull out of the race 

and seek refuge at the Dutch embassy; 

Whereas the death toll, violence, and instability in Zimbabwe 

only continue to intensify; 

Whereas United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has 

asked Zimbabwe to postpone its run-off elections stating 

that a vote during the current conditions would ‘‘lack all 

legitimacy’’; 

Whereas the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) have been engaged in efforts to help end the violence in Zimbabwe by appointing 

a mediator and contributing other resources, including 

election observers; 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
3 

•HRES 1301 IH 

Whereas President Mugabe is in violation of his obligation to 

the AU, breaking several of the principles outlined in article 3 and article 4 of the AU’s Constitutive Act; and 

Whereas Zimbabwean citizens, especially as members of the 

AU, have a right to democratic freedoms, fundamental 

human rights, good governance, and a just rule of law: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) calls upon the Government of Zimbabwe to 

3 postpone the run-off presidential election scheduled 

4 for Friday, June 27, 2008; 

5 (2) calls upon the Government of Zimbabwe to 

6 reschedule the run-off election and to allow full and 

7 unfettered access to international electoral monitors 

8 before, during, and after the balloting; 

9 (3) states that in the absence of a free and fair 

10 vote in a run-off election, the legitimacy of the 

11 Mugabe regime has been so seriously undermined 

12 that Robert Mugabe must step down; 

13 (4) calls upon the African Union, consistent 

14 with its charter, to take immediate steps to sanction 

15 politically, diplomatically, and economically the gov16 ernment of Robert Mugabe; 

17 (5) calls upon the Southern African Develop18 ment Community, consistent with its charter, to take 

19 immediate steps to sanction politically, diplomatiVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:55 Jun 25, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1301.IH HR1301

jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
4 

•HRES 1301 IH 

1 cally, and economically the government of Robert 

2 Mugabe; 

3 (6) urges the Government of the Republic of 

4 South Africa to press the government of Robert 

5 Mugabe to ensure that a new electoral runoff is con6 ducted freely and fairly; and 

7 (7) calls upon the United Nations Security 

8 Council to take immediate steps to end the violence 

9 in Zimbabwe, press the government of Robert 

10 Mugabe to ensure that a new electoral runoff is con11 ducted freely and fairly, and that in the absence of 

12 a free and fair election, urge President Mugabe to 

13 step down. 

Æ 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS