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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Review of SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections - Opinion and Analysis
SOUTHERN
AFRICA: Zim election group welcomes SADC guidelines
IRIN
News
August 18, 2004
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42739
GRANDE BAIE - The
Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) has welcomed the adoption of
guidelines for holding democratic elections at the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) summit in Mauritius this week.
ZESN national chairperson Reginald Machaba-Hove told IRIN on Wednesday
that although the guidelines - if adhered to by member states - would
improve election conditions, there was a lack of clarity on the role of
international observer groups.
One of the key stipulations of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing
Democratic Elections is the presence of an SADC election observer team
ahead of, during, and after the ballot.
ZESN, a non-partisan network of 38 civic organisations in Zimbabwe, has
been lobbying for electoral reform in Zimbabwe.
Machaba-Hove said the guidelines appeared not to take into consideration
the important role external observer teams could play in ensuring a free
and fair poll, and said he had raised these issues with the new chairman
of SADC, Mauritian Prime Minister Paul Berenger, during a meeting following
the close of the Grande Baie conference.
"As ZESN, we are delighted that the summit unanimously agreed on the SADC
[election guidelines] - however, our concern so far is that the text refers
principally to SADC election observation missions and is somewhat silent
on the need for other international observer missions," he commented.
"Nevertheless, we welcome the fact that all SADC heads of state and government
agreed to the principles and guidelines on elections ... as civil society,
we will be following up the question of implementation of the principles
and guidelines into domestic legislation and practice," said Machaba-Hove.
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