Zimbabweans present petition to Downing Street

Exiled Zimbabweans and their supporters will be marking the 32nd anniversary of Zimbabwe's independence on Saturday, by presenting a petition to 10 Downing Street in an attempt to ensure that elections threatened this year are supervised by the UN.

A letter accompanying the petition thanks David Cameron for his recent promise to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to help Zimbabwe hold free and fair elections

The petition reads: 'We call on the Security Council to ensure that the next elections in Zimbabwe are free and fair. We look to the United Nations to supervise the electoral process and the handover of power to a new government and believe peace-keeping troops will need to be in place before, during and after the polling.'

The petition has been signed in the past two years by more than 12,000 people from all over the world who have passed by the Zimbabwe Vigil, which has been held outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London every Saturday for the past 10 years in protest at human rights abuses.

The Vigil fears that President Mugabe will illegally call elections before reforms have been made and again bludgeon his way back to power.

Before the petition is handed over, the Vigil and supporters of Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change will demonstrate outside the South African High Commission to urge President Zuma to put pressure on Mugabe adopt the promised reforms.

Campaigners will meet at 2pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London WC2. At 2.45pm they move to the South African High Commission in Trafalgar Square where there will be speeches and activities. At 3.45pm they will walk to 10 Downing Street to hand in the petition at 4.15pm. Campaigners will return to the Vigil at the Zimbabwe Embassy at 4.45pm.

For more information see: www.zimvigil.co.uk