20 March 2008
Luanda — The co-ordinator of the team of observers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) of the elections in Zimbabwe, Marcos Barrica said Wednesday, in Harare, the observers met with Zimbabwean authorities to guarantee a peaceful environment during the polls.
ANGOP learnt from a press not that the Angolan official, who is also a minister of Youth and Sports, made these considerations at a press conference, which aimed at explaining about the activities carried out by the mission, since it was created on March 11.
"At the start of the mission, we met with the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, and he urged us to observe the elections impartially so that they can be transparent", referred Marcos Barrica.
According to the communiqué, Robert Mugabe also appealed to the mission to secure the polls, in order for voters to choose the candidates of their choice, and so that political make their campaigns freely.
Last March 12, the team of observers met with general and minister of the opposition MDC party, Tendai Biti, and visited the Congress of Zimbabwe and the headquarters of the trade union.
The note adds that on the 17th the delegation held consultation meetings with the resident ambassadors of the African Union (AU) and visited the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
On the 18th the commission met with the resident ambassadors of the European Union, USA and Canada and then with Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party, as well as with resident ambassadors of the Asian continent.
The SADC team is in Zimbabwe to observe the management of the electoral process, advising and securing that the principles and guidelines leading to democratic elections in region are respected.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Angola Press Agency. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
