STAFF REPORTER
The European Union (EU) said it will not interfere with the August 23 harmonised elections as it will use the international standards of observing polls.
The remarks come as the EU Election Observation Mission Zimbabwe said it will address the 2023 elections as a separate occasion from 2018 elections and will write new recommendations altogether.
The mission’s deputy chief observer Beata Martin-Rozumiłowicz told Business Times that the team will not change the international law as it has observed over 100 elections around the world using the same template.
“The European Union Election Observation Mission Zimbabwe observers have been tasked to be vigilant in observing how Zimbabwe will abide by international agreements on the governance of elections that it is a signatory too, when it goes to the polls next month,” Martin-Rozumiłowicz said.
She said on election day, the mission will add 44 short-term observers, a delegation from the European Parliament and local observers.
This will bring the number of EU observers on polling day to over 150.
The EU EOM yesterday deployed 46 long-term observers across the country.
The observers are in the country after the government invited them to come and observe next month’s election.
Martin-Rozumiłowicz said the observers will be deployed in the country’s 10 provinces.
