(NEWZIMBABWE) PM seeks Nigerian leader's help

COMMENT - Last time Nigeria observed the elections in Zimbabwe, it was heavily criticized because it's observers found no evidence of election rigging. Like South Africa, they were forced to change their opinion by 'the international community'.

PM seeks Nigerian leader's help
01/09/2011 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai urged Nigeria and the African Union on a visit to Abuja on Wednesday to help ensure his country does not become "another Ivory Coast". Tsvangirai told Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan that all efforts were being made, under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community, to conduct free and fair elections in Zimbabwe next year.

He said his country “wants Nigeria and the African Union to take an active role in the process,” adding that this would create the peaceful environment needed for successful elections in Zimbabwe.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, he said: “As you know, SADC and AU are both guarantors of the Global Political Agreement in Zimbabwe. I am just updating him so that they can play a more active role in ensuring that we can go to the elections next year, hopefully in a free and fair manner, so that we put a closure to the dispute in Zimbabwe.

“I was requesting President Jonathan to play much more active role, Nigeria and the brother AU must be involved actively in support of SADC initiative, but also to ensure that we don’t have a repeat of another Cote d’Ivoire.”

The Ivory Coast was plunged into conflict after former President Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat in a November vote. He has been detained in the north of the country since April 11 in the wake of bloody post-election battles.

President Jonathan said: “All African countries have a responsibility to ensure that Zimbabwe does not go back to the crisis of the past with the consequent loss of lives.”

Jonathan said Africans must show that they can conduct peaceful, transparent, and credible elections that create the stable socio-political and economic environment required, to encourage investments for economic development, adding: “The will of the people must be respected.”

From Nigeria Tsvangirai flew to Abidjan for a 24-hour visit which he said was aimed at boosting ties between the two countries.

Tsvangirai was set to meet his counterpart Guillaume Soro and Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Thursday.

The working trip is aimed at "warming relations" between the two countries, the Ivory Coast government said in a statement.

Zimbabwe has been cited as the destination of exiled supporters of Gbagbo.

MDC-T leader Tsvangirai shares power with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party and the MDC led by Welshman Ncube. The coalition partners disagree on a date for elections, with Zanu PF more impatient to go to the people.