South Africa Puts Off Elections in Troubled Region
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CAPE TOWN, South Africa — President Nelson Mandela’s government postponed local elections in the troubled Zulu kingdom on Monday, citing deadly political violence there.
The postponement means voting for town and rural councils in KwaZulu-Natal province will take place no later than June 30, instead of on May 29 as originally planned. A specific date has not yet been set.
In a unanimous decision reached in a 5 1/2-hour meeting, Mandela’s Cabinet sided with his African National Congress in putting off the voting in hopes of improving security in the violence-racked province.
“The decision . . . will contribute toward enhancing the legitimacy of the electoral process, improving the atmosphere for greater political tolerance,” said Constitutional Development Minister Chris Fismer of the white-led National Party.
The Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party had called for the elections to be held as scheduled, but its leader, Home Affairs Minister Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, said after the meeting that he supported the postponement.
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