Zimbabwe has not escaped the eye of the public as it begins its run off election against a background of tension and persecutions. The Zimbabwe Situation has reported an increase in the persecution of priests and opposition members. Even though Mugabe has stated that he will stand down if he loses the run off election, ZEC [Zimbabwe Electoral Commission] has been destroying ballots. There have been also reports of Mugabe having visited Singapore in order to undergo treatment for Prostate Cancer. The MDC has stated that only a presence of a large observation force and a massive turnout voting for MDC will help defeat Mugabe and ZANU-PF.