Rhodesia

HC Deb 13 February 1980 vol 978 cc679-81W

11. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a further statement on Rhodesia.

20. Mr. Whitehead

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement about progress towards elections in Rhodesia.

21. Mr. Ioan Evans

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the arrangements for the election to be held in Zimbabwe.

22. Mr. Farr

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the current situation in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.

Sir Ian Gilmour

The problem of intimidation of voters in the rural areas, the scope of which has now been confirmed to the Governor by the British election supervisors, continues to cause great concern. The Governor has enacteda further ordinance enabling him if necessary to suspend elections in selected districts where serious intimidation is taking place. There has been a further deplorable attack upon Mr. Mugabe. Investigations are being pursued.

12. Dr. Edmund Marshall

asked the Lord Privy Seal what considerations will influence the Governor of Rhodesia in the steps he takes leading to the formation of an administration in that country after the forthcoming elections.

Sir Ian Gilmour

The Governor will be guided by the relevant constitutional provisions.

27. Mr. Chapman

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a further statement about the elections in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia at the end of the month, with particular reference to identification of voters and the security of polling stations and ballot boxes.

Sir Ian Gilmour

The presiding officer may request proof of identity and eligibility to vote. The police will be on duty at polling stations and will escort the ballot boxes to their places of overnight storage, where the boxes will be guarded. Voters' fingers will be marked with an invisible fluid to prevent multiple voting. Additional arrangements for the protection of polling stations will be considered in the light of the security situation. Used ballot papers will be transferred to the United Kingdom and will be stored here for the statutory period.

32. Sir Ronald Bell

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he has received any information about the source of funds moving from Mozambique to Rhodesia to finance the campaign of the ZANU party in the forthcoming general election there.

Mr. Luce

No. We have already stated that it will not be practicable to monitor contributions to individual parties.

Dr. Edmund Marshall

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether the bussing of voters across the boundaries of electoral districts in the forthcoming Common roll elections will be an offence.

Mr. Luce

The Election Commissioner has decided that it will not in general be necessary to take specific action to ban bussing across the boundaries of electoral districts. However, under the terms of the Elections (Prevention of Disruptive Activities) Ordinance, enacted on 5 February, the bussing of voters from an administrative district in which a party has been disqualified from contesting the election to another administrative district for the purposes of voting there will be an offence.