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Zimbabwe: Malawi Civil Society Groups Fear Rigged Elections
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The Zimbabwe Guardian (London)
21 March 2008
Posted to the web 24 March 2008
Our Reporter
LEADING civil society organisations in Malawi have expressed deep concern about the conduct of the electoral process in Zimbabwe, ahead of harmonised elections on March 29.
The NGOs raised the concern when they held discussions with British High Commissioner to Malawi, Richard Wildash at his official residence.
"Zimbabwe is in dire straits and the situation on the ground is not conducive to the holding of free and fair elections. The political leadership bars Zimbabweans from enjoying their civil and political liberties; civil society and opposition parties are prevented from operating freely," said Billy Banda, Executive Director of Malawi Watch Human Rights.
Undule Mwakasungura, Executive Director of the Centre, echoed his sentiments for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), who bemoaned the reluctance of many African leaders to speak out as one of the factors aggravating the situation in Zimbabwe.
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"Sadly, the situation is getting worse by every passing day. This calls for international solidarity to bring hope and optimism to the many Zimbabweans suffering under the Mugabe regime. We need to speak out openly about the serious violations of human rights and the flagrant disregard for the rule of law," said Mwakasungula.
Wildash said it was regrettable that the Zimbabwean government had barred EU and Commonwealth observers, preferring to invite "only those with friendly ties with Harare".
Wildash said that all accredited countries bore the key responsibility of assessing whether the elections met international norms and standards including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) principles and guidelines concerning elections, of which Zimbabwe is a signatory.
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