The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa and the Open Society Institute are dismayed by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's delay in announcing the results of the March 29 elections in Zimbabwe. The delay raises serious concerns about the credibility of the work of the Electoral Commission and the election results.
We call for the urgent deployment of an independent team of eminent individuals, selected jointly by the African Union and the United Nations. Their mandate should be to examine and report on the reasons for the delay and other irregularities and to provide a framework for restoring confidence in the vote.
There are widespread accounts of significant procedural and technical irregularities both preceding and following the polling in Zimbabwe. They include problems with the electoral rolls, restricted access to state media for opposition parties, the ruling party ZANU-PF's widespread use of state resources to influence voters and threats by military and security personnel that they would not tolerate an opposition victory.
The observer mission of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was limited to a brief period before and during the actual polling. Their statement does not take into account crucial issues after the actual casting of ballots.
With the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's unacceptable stalling in announcing the results, the current economic crisis, and the history of violence surrounding disputed elections, we fear the eruption of conflict. We call on the African Union and the United Nations to take appropriate measures to prevent possible violence.