The run-off election between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was thrown further into doubt on Tuesday after Tsvangirai formally wrote to the country’s electoral commission withdrawing from the race.
Electoral law requires the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to declare Mugabe winner and cancel Friday’s poll but the commission insisted it was pressing ahead with plans for the poll because it had not seen Tsvangirai’s letter of withdrawal.
The AU mission that is headed by former Sierra Leone president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah said in a statement: The main objective of the mission is to make an honest, independent and impartial observation and assessment of the organisation and conduct of these elections.
The AU Mission hopes the presidential run-off and House of Assembly by-elections will be held in an environment conducive to the democratic expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe.
The AU mission – which together with other African observer missions on Monday expressed concern to the ZEC about the climate of violence in Zimbabwe ahead of the run-off poll – said it planned to deploy observers throughout the country ahead of voting day in order to assess the environment as voters cast their ballots.
Tsvangirai, favourite to win the run-off poll after defeating Mugabe in the first round of voting in March, pulled out saying political violence made a free and fair election impossible.
The United Nations Security Council on Monday called for the run-off poll to be scrapped saying a free and fair vote was impossible while some of the Harare government’s key allies in southern African also questioned the credibility of Friday’s vote and called for it to be postponed.
However, electoral authorities in Harare appeared determined to proceed with the vote. ZEC deputy chief elections officer Uitoile Silaigwana told the media that the commission was busy distributing materials to polling stations in preparation for the run-off election.
He said: “The preparations are at an advanced stage. Today we are winding up our training and deployment of election officers. Ballot materials are being distributed across the country. We are almost ready.” – ZimOnline
Post published in: News