OUTCOME OF ZIMBABWE POLLS ILLEGITIMATE, SAYS BAN

OUTCOME OF ZIMBABWE POLLS ILLEGITIMATE, SAYS BAN New York, Jun 30 2008 9:00AM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has criticized the outcome of Friday's run-off presidential election in Zimbabwe – which went ahead despite international appeals for a postponement given the violence and intimidation that preceded it – as illegitimate.

"The outcome did not reflect the true and genuine will of the Zimbabwean people or produce a legitimate result," Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp">statement issued today in Tokyo, where the Secretary-General is currently on an official visit.

"The Secretary-General has said repeatedly that conditions were not in place for a free and fair election and observers have confirmed this from the deeply flawed process," the statement added.

President Robert Mugabe was sworn in yesterday for another term after being declared the winner of the 27 June run-off. He was the sole candidate in the polls after violence and intimidation directed towards the opposition forces led to the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai, the candidate of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The Southern African nation has been plagued by deadly violence and a worsening humanitarian situation since the first round of elections was held on 29 March.

Many MDC activists have reportedly been killed or injured in recent weeks and human rights defenders and staff with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been harassed.
"The Secretary-General encourages efforts of the two sides to negotiate a political solution that would end violence and intimidation," according to the statement.

The situation in Zimbabwe is high on the agenda of the African Union Summit, which began today in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Mr. Ban expressed support for the efforts of the AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to promote an agreement acceptable to the people of Zimbabwe, adding that Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro and senior UN political aide Haile Menkerios – who are both at the Summit – are ready to help in any way possible.
2008-06-30 00:00:00.000

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