{"id":1129,"date":"2018-07-08T18:30:30","date_gmt":"2018-07-08T18:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/euromenaenergy.com\/?p=1129"},"modified":"2018-07-08T18:30:30","modified_gmt":"2018-07-08T18:30:30","slug":"eu-observer-says-zimbabwe-election-will-be-critical-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/?p=1129","title":{"rendered":"EU observer says Zimbabwe election will be \u2018critical test\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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AFP\/Harare<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Upcoming elections in Zimbabwe will be a defining test of the country\u2019s new era, following years of disputed votes under ousted ruler Robert Mugabe, the European Union (EU) observer mission said yesterday.
\nPrevious elections were marred by violence, intimidation and fraud \u2014 often alleged to involve the ruling ZANU-PF party and state security forces.
\nMugabe\u2019s successor and former ally, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has pledged to hold free and fair elections as he seeks to mend international relations and draw in foreign investment.
\n\u201cThese elections are a critical test of Zimbabwe\u2019s reform process,\u201d EU chief election observer Elmar Brok told at a press conference in Harare ahead of the July 30 vote.
\n\u201cGiven the context of past elections, great efforts need to be made to ensure public and political confidence.
\n\u201cNecessary efforts include transparency and inclusivity, confidence in the integrity of the voter roll, emphasis on (the) secrecy of the vote and the peaceful conduct of the polls.\u201d
\nThe poll will be the first ballot-box test for Mnangagwa since Mugabe was forced out last November after 37 years in power.
\nEU observers have not attended Zimbabwean elections since 2002. The head of its mission at the time, Pierre Schori, was thrown out of the country on the eve of presidential elections widely condemned as flawed.
\nAt Mnangagwa\u2019s invitation, the EU is to deploy 44 observers on July 30, with 44 more observers due to deploy before polling day.
\nBrok said the mission\u2019s work would include monitoring the conduct of the campaign, results transmission and resolution of disputes.
\nMnangagwa, 75, is facing youthful opposition leader Nelson Chamisa in a presidential race that has a total of 23 candidates.
\nChamisa, of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, has accused electoral officials and Mnangagwa of blocking essential electoral reforms.
\nThe MDC will hold a demonstration next week to push its demands, which include observing the printing of ballot papers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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