By Ebi Kesiena
Zimbabwe’s election foreign observers on Friday noted that the presidential and legislative elections failed to conform to regional and international standards, thereby indicating that it fell short of standards.
The regional and international observers listed concerns over the canning of opposition rallies, denial of accreditation to several foreign media, missing voters’ names from the roll at their polling station, biased state media and voter intimidation, among the issues that discredited the election.
The head of the European Union observer mission, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, said the election fell short of many regional and international standards, placing in doubt the credibility of the votes.
“Violence and intimidation resulted ultimately in a climate of fear,” he said.
Also, Commonwealth observer mission Chair Amina Mohamed, of Kenya, said overall the voting process was well conducted and peaceful.
He however insisted that although a number of significant issues impacted on the election’s credibility and its transparency.
Zimbabweans went to the polls on Wednesday and Thursday in polling marred by delays. The vote took place against a backdrop of discontent at Zimbabwe’s economic crisis.
Although, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission deputy chairman Rodney Kiwa told AFP, that the authorities were still confident of announcing the results before the deadline.
CCC leader Nelson Chamisa slammed the delays as a clear case of voter suppression, as he described it as a classic case of Stone Age rigging.
