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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

MORE COMMONWEALTH OBSERVERS FOR ZIMBABWE

3 March 2002

Twelve more Commonwealth Observers have arrived in Zimbabwe this week and five more are due next week. Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said today in Coolum, where Commonwealth leaders are meeting:

"This is the fourth batch of Commonwealth Observers since the first week of February. They bring the total numbers, including Commonwealth Secretariat staff, to 60.

It is always good to have more eyes on the process. We already had a team big enough to give us a good sample of the election process and a fair insight into the electoral environment as a whole. These additional observers will mean that the Group will be able to do even better".

The additional observers are:

* Senator Alan Ferguson Leader of the Australian observers at the 2000 Zimbabwe Parliamentary Elections, Australia

* Mr Khaidir Jamal Secretary General, National Youth Council, Malaysia

* Hon Omar Jallo MP MP and leader of opposition party, The Gambia

* Ms Alice Killam Election Officer, Canada

* Dr Ahmed Lawan MP Member of Parliament and Committee Chair, Nigeria


* Ms Joan Purcell Former Minister, Grenada

* Mrs Patsy Robertson Former Commonwealth Secretariat Director of Information, Jamaica

* Ms Elizabeth Solomon Member, National Electoral Commission, Ghana

* Ms Atemesa Franco Board Member, FECIV-AMODE (domestic election observer), Mozambique

* Ms Jo-Ann Waugh Election officer, Yukon, Canada

* Mr Sam Njie Commonwealth Secretariat staff member, The Gambia

* Ms Mischa Manderson-Mills Former Commonwealth Secretariat staff member, Jamaica

These twelve observers are being deployed across the country in six two-person teams on Sunday afternoon following briefings in Harare.

Next week's arrivals will be Mr Mofazzal Karim, a former Permanent Secretary from Bangladesh, Mr Kevin Rudd, an Australian MP and three Commonwealth Secretariat staff members - Mr Jon Sheppard, Professor Ade Adefuye and Dr Victor Pungong.

Note to Editors

Mr Ray Ekpu and Mr Munsef Ali, who were listed in the press release of 22 February as members of the Commonwealth Observer Group, will not now be travelling to Zimbabwe.

The 60 Commonwealth Observers will deploy by Thursday 7 March in 30 two-person teams.

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ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int