Voting booths in Zimbabwe have closed following what observers call 'a peaceful poll,'reports the BBC. Yet the context of today's parliamentary election could not be more dramatic. President Robert Mugabe has lately shut off humanitarian aid to his starving population, declaring that only members of his own party, the ZANU-PF, will have access to food. And this is just one of his many foul ploys to gain an absolute majority in Parliament, giving him full control over an already lawless country sinking deeper into misery and violence every day.
Below is Part I of an attempt to outline the background of this drama. Cross-posted from Booman Tribune.