Dr. Simbi Mubako, the Zimbabwe Ambassador to the United States, held a press conference at the National Press Club in April 2005. In his remarks, Mubako pointed to numerous elections reports which were favorable from the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Union of African States, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Rev. Ajabu told APN he spoke to one person removed from President Mugabe who said the Zimbabwean government has not yet received the 2002 report from the NAACP, which could be significant because it is an organization based in the United States.
The report shows a few things:
Second, the NAACP did an extremely thorough job researching the election, expending considerable time, energy, and resources. The NAACP's election research included extensive interviews with citizens, activists, religious leaders, elected officials, and nongovernmental agency officials. NAACP monitors undertook a 2,031 kilometer trip and observed urban and rural polling stations.
Third, the NAACP report says that observers would receive reports of violence at polling stations "from pundits and activists," but when they would go to check out these rumors, the polling stations would be calm and orderly.
Fourth, they stated that Western governments had a clear anti-Mugabe stance throughout the process.
The NAACP congratulated the people of Zimbabwe for patience and courage and their large voter turnout. They recommended modernization of elections, voter education, and earlier training for poll workers, however.
The NAACP's "International Election Observers Manual," which was also included in the report, states the role of nonpartisan observers is "to give citizens confidence that the elections process is carried out in a free, fair, and transparent manner."
Atlanta Progressive News is advocating that the NAACP should release this report to the world in order to give citizens such confidence.
About the authors:
Jonathan Springston is a Staff Writer for Atlanta Progressive News. Matthew Cardinale is the Editor and a National Correspondent for Atlanta Progressive News and may be reached at matthew@atlantaprogressivenews.com
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