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SADC forum outraged at exclusion from poll
Dumisani Muleya, Business Day (South Africa)
March 02, 2005

http://allafrica.com/stories/200503020267.html

Johannesburg - Confrontation is looming between Zimbabwe and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum over Zimbabwe's general election due later this month.

The forum, which includes permanent representatives from most countries in the region, wrote to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe last week expressing outrage at its omission from the list of invited observers.

Secretary-general Kasuka Mutukwa reportedly asked why his group had been excluded when it had always monitored elections in SADC countries.

The SADC forum declared Zimbabwe's hotly disputed 2002 presidential election not free and fair. It was widely attacked by Mugabe's government for its decision - which was similar to that of other observers such as Commonwealth, invited European Union countries, Japan and some African countries including Ghana and Senegal.

SA and other SADC countries, China and Russia gave the election a clean bill of health. It is understood Mugabe has not yet replied to the letter.

Zimbabwean parliamentary speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa led SADC's election team to observe the Malawian election last year.

Zimbabwe, is already on a collision course with SADC countries over its refusal to adequately comply with the regional bloc's election guidelines.

The dispute between Mugabe's government and the SADC forum came as Zimbabwe started accrediting local and foreign observers yesterday after weeks of uncertainty over the issue.

Zimbabwe has only invited 23 African countries, five from Asia, three from the Americas and only Russia from Europe to observe its election.

After a lot of uncertainty, Zimbabwe finally sent out invitation letters to observers last week.

President Thabo Mbeki, who chairs the SADC organ on politics, defence and security, is currently trying to form the regional grouping's observer mission.

SA, trying to help to ensure a free and fair election in Zimbabwe, will also send a parliamentary and a ruling African National Congress team to the country to observe the election.

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