COUNCIL OF

THE EUROPEAN UNION

 

Council Conclusions on Zimbabwe

 

2870th EXTERNAL RELATIONS Council meeting

Brussels, 26 and 27 May 2008

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

1. The Council notes the announcement by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that the

second round of the Presidential election will be held on 27 June, nearly 3 months after the

first round of the elections.

2. The EU strongly condemns the state-sponsored campaign of violence and intimidation

against Zimbabweans that has been increasing throughout the prolonged electoral process

and calls for an immediate end to the beatings, tortures, killings and other human rights

abuses. The Council calls upon the government of Zimbabwe to ensure a level playing field

and a secure environment conducive to ensuring that the results of forthcoming second

round will reflect the free and democratic will of the Zimbabwean people. In this respect the

Council stresses the importance that all necessary measures be adopted in order to allow all

candidates and supporters to participate safely and fully in the electoral process.

3. The second round presents an opportunity for the free and democratic will of the

Zimbabwean people to be expressed and respected, opening the way for delivering political

stability. The Council reiterates that the credibility of the electoral process requires

conditions on the ground to be in full accordance with international standards, particularly

those adopted by the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development

Community (SADC), of which Zimbabwe is a signatory, including the freedom of assembly

and access to media. In this context the Council underlines specifically the importance of the

publication of results outside the polling stations once counting is completed.

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4. The Council emphasises the importance of effective election observation, local as well as

international, to ensure regularity and transparency for the second round and reiterates the

important role of the countries in the region in achieving this. The Council further

welcomes the positive role played by the AU and the SADC Electoral Observation

Missions (EOMs) during the first phase of the electoral process. The Council supports the

intent of the AU and the SADC to ensure continued presence of their EOMs until the

electoral process is complete and results announced and to deploy, as soon as possible, a

significant number of election monitors across Zimbabwe, including rural areas, well in

advance of the election day. The EU remains ready to deploy an EU election observation

mission, if the right conditions are met, yet the Council notes that no invitation has been

made to the EU as of today.

5. The Council calls upon SADC to continue to engage with strong determination with the

Zimbabwean authorities to implement the outcome of the Lusaka Summit. The EU shares

the concern of the SADC about the situation and reiterates full support for SADC’s efforts

to resolve the current crisis.

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