Observers claim that Zimbabwe has become too violent to conduct the run-off election Robert Mugabe’s election commission says will be needed to determine the next president. They recommend that the country wait a full year to resolve the election standoff, under the government that perpetrates the violence. Unfortunately, Zimbabweans will not see any relief from the oppression from international organizations, who continue their impotence:

Zimbabwe is too violent to hold a presidential run-off, the head of a South African observer mission says.

“We have seen it, there are people in hospital who said they have been tortured,” said Kingsley Mamabolo.

The head of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has reportedly said the run-off could be delayed by up to a year. …

“You cannot have the next round taking place in this atmosphere; it will not be helpful,” he said.

Doesn’t that seem rather convenient? After all, the violence comes from the government that doesn’t want to acknowledge defeat. In a very real sense, this kind of declaration endorses that violence and guarantees that it will continue. If violence keeps Mugabe in power, he has no incentives to end it.

The delay period comes directly from the Mugabe regime. The Zimbabwe Elections Commission told the Pan-African Parliament observers that the ZEC could not possibly organize a run-off election within the 21 days required by national law. Instead, they won’t commit to anything shorter than a year while the government and Mugabe-sponsored vigilantes continue to terrorize and torture those who supported the MDC and Morgan Tsvangirai. They want to soften up the electorate so that even with observers present, most will be intimidating into not voting at all or supporting Mugabe.

Where is the UN? Where is the SADC? Where are any of the standing multilateral organizations that supposedly exist to end human-rights abuses and oppression? None of them have taken any action at all to penalize the Mugabe regime for its election fraud and tyrannical hold on power, let alone for its criminal mismanagement that transformed Zimbabwe from an agricultural powerhouse to pauper status. Presumably, all of them will stand idly by for the next year while Mugabe beats his nation back into submission. It demonstrates again the uselessness and spinelessness of these organizations.