Secretary-General urges swift release of Zimbabwean presidential poll results

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed concern that the results of presidential elections in Zimbabwe have not been released and urged the electoral authorities to do so “expeditiously and with transparency.”

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban noted that nine days after the elections, the results had yet to be released in spite of the constitutional deadline. “The Secretary-General… urges the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to discharge its responsibility and release the results expeditiously and with transparency,” the statement said.

“He calls upon all actors to act responsibly, exercise restrain and calm, and to address all issues regarding the elections through recourse to legal means and dialogue,” it continued.

The Secretary-General previously called for the utmost transparency during the counting of votes.

In the presidential poll, the incumbent, Robert Mugabe, is facing Morgan Tsvangirai and Simba Makoni. If a winning candidate does not win more than 50 per cent of the total votes, a run-off race is required.

Mr Tsvangirai’s party, the Movement for Democratic Change, has petitioned Zimbabwe’s High Court to demand the immediate release of the election results. The electoral authorities have already announced the results of the Senate and parliamentary elections, which were held on the same day as the presidential vote.