UN chief calls for calmness throughout electoral process in Zimbabwe

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UN chief calls for calmness throughout electoral process in Zimbabwe

(Xinhua) 10:32, August 03, 2013

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Friday lauded a peaceful election day in Zimbabwe and hoped that calmness will prevail the whole electoral process.

Ban "commends the Zimbabwean people for a broadly peaceful election day and for exercising their democratic rights," Ban's spokesperson said in a statement.

He also called on President Robert Mugabe and his political rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to send "clear messages of calm" to supporters amid mounting election tension.

An estimated 6.4 million Zimbabweans went to polls on Wednesday to elect a president, 210 law-makers, and nearly 2,000 local councilors.

Mugabe, 89, is estimated to have won two thirds of the votes to be re-elected, a senior member of Mugabe's party said Friday. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is verifying statistics before announcing the final results.

On Thursday, Tsvangirai called the election a huge "farce," saying it was seriously manipulated and failed to meet the international standards of free, fair, and transparent.

Noting that there were "some concerns" raised about the electoral process, Ban said the concerns over Wednesday's vote should be handled "transparently and fairly" and hoped that a calm and peaceful atmosphere will prevail during the vote counting and throughout the electoral process.

"The United Nations encourages the country's leadership to govern responsibly and inclusively and to pursue policies and reforms that could serve to deepen democratic governance and also spur economic recovery that would benefit all Zimbabweans," said the statement.

（Editor：YaoChun、Gao Yinan）