200805141304 | More AU poll observers for Zimbabwe

More AU poll observers for Zimbabwe

Addis Ababa - The African Union plans to increase the number of election observers it will deploy to Zimbabwe to monitor a yet-to-be announced presidential run-off, its executive chief said on Tuesday.

"In the first round of elections, we had 18 observers. We will increase them minimally by more than 50 and maybe go towards 100," said Jean Ping, the chairperson of the AU Commission.

"We are also talking to various stakeholders there (Zimbabwe) and mainly with SADC (Southern Africa Development Community), to do their best, to be helpful that the run-off should be (carried out) in a transparent, fair and calm atmosphere," he told reporters in Addis Ababa.

Harare has vowed to bar Western countries and the United Nations from observing a run-off unless sanctions against the country are removed.

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who beat incumbent Robert Mugabe in the first round of voting on March 29, has set conditions for his participation in the run-off.

These include the presence of peacekeepers, election monitors, free media and an end to violence.

The electoral panel delayed results from the first-round presidential election for five weeks and no date has been set for the run-off, although by law it should take place within 21 days of the first-round results being announced.

Violence has been reported in the country with the MDC claiming 32 of its supporters have been killed since voting. A UN official here confirmed that the opposition has suffered most attacks, but said it was not entirely blameless.