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It will be difficult to recognise Zim runoff results, observes UN

It will be difficult to recognise Zim runoff results, observes UN
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Saturday June 21, 2008 [04:00]

THE United Nations has said it will be difficult for the international community to recognise the outcome of next week's run-off presidential poll if the current volatile conditions prevail. And SADC ministers have said Zimbabwe's run-off election is very unlikely to be free and fair.

UN undersecretary-general for political affairs Lynn Pascoe, while attending a round table on Zimbabwe at UN Headquarters on behalf of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said Zimbabwe was currently so polarised that whatever the result of the election, a "winner-takes-all" strategy would not bring peace and stability to the country.

"We must be prepared to send a strong message to ensure that the will of the Zimbabwean people is respected and to call for renewed efforts to restore security and the rule of law in the country," he said.

"It is of utmost importance that the violence is stopped immediately and that humanitarian assistance is facilitated, not prevented."

President Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai are set to face each other amidst escalating political violence in the run-off scheduled for next Friday.

The MDC has reported that 70 of its activists have been killed, 300 hospitalised with severe injuries while 25,000 have been displaced. ZANU-PF has reported that six of its activists have been killed.

Tanzanian foreign minister, Bernard Membe, said on Thursday that it was very unlikely that the elections would be free and fair.

"There is every sign that these elections will never be free nor fair," Reuters quoted Membe as saying.

Membe said their judgment on the conduct of the poll was based on evidence from 211 observers already inside the country. He was speaking in Tanzania on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) peace and security troika.
Tanzania is the current chair of the African Union.

Membe said he and the foreign ministers of Swaziland and Angola would write to their presidents "so that they do something urgently so that we can save Zimbabwe".
Membe said both political parties had indicated they would not accept defeat.
"The statements being made by both sides ... are disheartening. Let us expect a lot of trouble to erupt in Zimbabwe after June 27.”

"As Tanzania, we have told the government of Zimbabwe to stop the violence. We have told our observers not to be threatened, that they do their work without fear. People of Zimbabwe are hurting and it pains us," Membe was quoted as saying.

Labels: ELECTIONS, SADC, UN, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 3:46 AM