HARARE, March 29 (Xinhuanet) -- The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)said on Tuesday it will deal firmly with people intending to cause chaos during Thursday's parliamentary polls.

    "Let those with intentions to disturb peace on this important day be warned that the ZRP is prepared and will deal with them firmly and in accordance with the law," Assistant Police Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena told a press conference in the capital.

    He said the police would do everything possible and within the limits of the law to ensure that the voting day and the post election period remain peaceful.

    The safety and security of people was now guaranteed following the deployment of police officers on the ground over the weekend, he said.

    The ZRP was also happy with the situation prevailing in the country as no politically motivated deaths had been recorded in this year's campaigning period.

    "We hope and will strive to ensure that this calm situation prevails on polling day and indeed the period thereafter," he said.

    By around this time during the run-up to the 2000 parliamentary election, the country had witnessed a wave of political violence that left property damaged, some people injured and others dead.

    The situation was largely the same with the presidential election two years later. However, this time the campaign period has so far been generally peaceful with basically all the contesting parties and police acknowledging that the incidence of political violence is low compared to the past two general elections.

    Zimbabweans will go to the polls this Thursday to elect the country's sixth Parliament since independence in 1980 amid unprecedented peace and tranquility, which is largely seen as a two-horse race between the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

    Zimbabwe's Parliament, also called House of Assembly has 150 members: 120 elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies and 12 appointed members by president, eight governors and 10 elected chiefs.

    Bvudzijena said a total of 153 cases of political violence had been recorded countrywide since political campaigning started on January 1, 2005, with the majority of cases being in contravention of the statutes.

    Only 18 of the 153 cases related to political violence but of a minor nature such as common assault, according to Bvudzijena.

    Of the grand total, ZANU-PF supporters committed 75 crimes while MDC supporters committed 78 crimes.

    The two major political parties had also held a total of 2,559 rallies since January this year with the ZANU-PF accounting for 1,683 rallies and the MDC 876.

    During the same period, 19 ZANU-PF supporters were arrested compared to 162 of the MDC.

    Bvudzijena said the big number of MDC arrests was accounted for by the arrest of 146 MDC supporters in Harare last Sunday for conduct likely to provoke a breach of peace.

    The supporters, who paid admission of guilt fines of 25,000 Zimbabwean dollars (about 4 US dollars) each, were in two lorries coming from an MDC rally.

    The MDC candidate for Harare Central, Murisi Zwizai was also picked up by police, cautioned and released on March 24 after supporters of the MDC he had addressed in the capital disrupted traffic along Nelson Mandela Street.

    Meanwhile, Bvudzijena reminded voters that it was an offense totake part in any gathering of more than 12 people, organize or engage in public singing or dancing and use bands, music, loudspeaker vans or apparatus within 200 meters of a polling station.

    It was also an offense for anyone to obstruct any voter at a polling station or on his way to a polling station, he said.

    Zimbabwe has been the first Southern African Development Community (SADC) country to adopt the SADC electoral reforms and guidelines governing democratic elections.

    These include voting in one day, translucent ballot boxes and equal opportunity for all political parties to access the state media. Enditem