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'No to Western observers,' declares Mugabe
30 Oct 2017 at 01:15hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has declared that non-governmental organisations funded by the West will not be allowed to observe next year's harmonised elections, NewZimbabwe.com reported..
Mugabe, who accused NGOs of interfering in Kenya's disputed elections, said civil society had a habit of working with the opposition to unseat incumbent presidents.
"We don't need them. We are saying no. We are going to have elections in 2018 and we are going to say no to the whites …," he vowed while speaking to Chinese media in Harare last week.
The 93-year-old Mugabe will be seeking a five-year extension to his 37 years in power in the 2018 election. His party, Zanu-PF, has already elected him as its candidate for the polls.
He claimed the decision by Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga to boycott the election re-run was directly influenced by NGOs.
"They want to work with opposition parties all the time. In other words, they don't have that impartiality of mind and judgment," Mugabe said.
"We don't mind their diplomats participating but the NGOs, no. We don't want them at all."
Mugabe's remarks immediately attracted criticism from opposition parties, who believe NGOs and western observers play a critical role in democratic elections.
The MDC-T said Mugabe's decision to assume the role of referee, linesman and match commissioner was likely to affect the credibility of the upcoming elections.
"His statements bastardise the elections, he is a player in this elections and surely he can't also be the referee, it is supposed to be the job of Zec to invite observers. What happens if other players also chose their own preferred observers?" MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said.
The Kenyan opposition alliance boycott comes after the country's Supreme Court annulled the results of an August 8 poll, following a challenge by Odinga, due to "irregularities" and "illegalities" in the electoral process. Kenyatta had been declared the winner of that vote.
Odinga pulled out of the new race earlier this month claiming the opposition demands to overhaul the country's election body had not been met.
A last-minute bid to block the run-off through a Supreme Court application failed after there was no quorum of judges to decide whether or not to conduct the election.
Mugabe, who accused NGOs of interfering in Kenya's disputed elections, said civil society had a habit of working with the opposition to unseat incumbent presidents.
"We don't need them. We are saying no. We are going to have elections in 2018 and we are going to say no to the whites …," he vowed while speaking to Chinese media in Harare last week.
The 93-year-old Mugabe will be seeking a five-year extension to his 37 years in power in the 2018 election. His party, Zanu-PF, has already elected him as its candidate for the polls.
He claimed the decision by Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga to boycott the election re-run was directly influenced by NGOs.
"They want to work with opposition parties all the time. In other words, they don't have that impartiality of mind and judgment," Mugabe said.
"We don't mind their diplomats participating but the NGOs, no. We don't want them at all."
The MDC-T said Mugabe's decision to assume the role of referee, linesman and match commissioner was likely to affect the credibility of the upcoming elections.
"His statements bastardise the elections, he is a player in this elections and surely he can't also be the referee, it is supposed to be the job of Zec to invite observers. What happens if other players also chose their own preferred observers?" MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said.
The Kenyan opposition alliance boycott comes after the country's Supreme Court annulled the results of an August 8 poll, following a challenge by Odinga, due to "irregularities" and "illegalities" in the electoral process. Kenyatta had been declared the winner of that vote.
Odinga pulled out of the new race earlier this month claiming the opposition demands to overhaul the country's election body had not been met.
A last-minute bid to block the run-off through a Supreme Court application failed after there was no quorum of judges to decide whether or not to conduct the election.
Source - NewZimbabwe.com
