Number: RL34509
Title: Zimbabwe: 2008 Elections and Implications for U.S. Policy
Authors: Lauren Ploch, Analyst in African Affairs 
Abstract: Robert Mugabe's administration has been seen as autocratic and repressive by its critics, and its human rights record is poor. The regime has suppressed freedom of speech and assembly, and many contend that it restricts access to food, already scarce, in opposition areas. The U.S. Secretary of State labeled Zimbabwe an "outpost of tyranny," and other Administration officials have accused Mugabe's party of rigging the election and orchestrating political violence. The United States has enforced targeted sanctions against top Zimbabwe officials and associates since 2002. Congress has expressed its opposition to the government's undemocratic policies in the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-99) and other subsequent legislation, including H.Con.Res. 100, S.Con.Res. 25, S. 1500, S.Res. 533, H.Res. 1230, H.Res. 1270, H.Res. 1301, and H.Con.Res. 387 during the 110th Congress.
Pages: 24
Date: January 5, 2009