HARARE, March 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabehas described ZANU-PF's election campaign as the best mounted by the ruling party in recent years and predicted victory for the party in Thursday's parliamentary election.

    Speaking at a briefing Tuesday with the Zimbabwean African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and government leadershipof Mashonaland Central province before addressing about 55,000 supporters at a rally, Mugabe said party officials and supporters had shown greater commitment in the campaign.

    "It is one of the best campaigns we have mounted. This time it was not the president alone but Vice Presidents Mujuru and Msika have also been moving around the country campaigning."

    "An element which has emerged (from the campaign) is that of people coming in greater numbers and showing commitment to the party," he said.

    Mugabe said even in areas such as Bulawayo where there were no proper party structures, people attended ZANU-PF rallies in large numbers.

    Later at the rally, Mugabe said although the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had won 57 seats in the 2000 parliamentaryelections, the opposition party would not repeat the feat this year.

    "Some people voted for them and they had 57 seats. They have a free run again and they will lose. Of course they are losing much more than they did. This time the people have seen through them," he said.

    He wondered why British Prime Minister Tony Blair was so concerned about events in Zimbabwe than any other country in Africa to the extent of imposing unjustified sanctions against thecountry.

    Zimbabwe and Britain have been locked up in a diplomatic tusslefor land since 2000 after Zimbabwe began seizing farms from white farmers, who owned the bulk of the country's arable land, to resettle landless peasants.

    The seizures were prompted by Britain's refusal to honor several promises it made, including as part of an independence package for Zimbabwe in 1980, to fund land reform and resettlementin the southern African country.

    Instead, London has turned around, and vehemently opposed Zimbabwe's land policies, and mobilized other western countries and organizations, including the Commonwealth, to pressure Harare to relent on the issue.

    Zimbabwe pulled out of the Commonwealth, a group of mainly former British colonies, in 2003 after it extended its controversial suspension of Zimbabwe, on grounds of alleged human rights violations, among other things.

    Zimbabwe denied the charges, and instead accused Britain and its close allies, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, of using the allegations to build up international opposition to the country's land policies.

    Speaking to journalists after the rally, Mugabe said Zimbabwe has always held free and fair elections since independence in 1980and scoffed at suggestions that Zimbabwe was isolated from the international scene.

    He said Zimbabwe was part of the African Union and Southern African Development Community and had lots of friends in the worldincluding in Europe where he singled out France and Italy as friendly countries as well as in Asia where it enjoys excellent relations with China and India among others.

    Mugabe reiterated that there was no food crisis in Zimbabwe andthe government would accept aid given in good faith and not donated with hidden agendas. Enditem