Multi-Stage Monitoring and Declaring Elections 'Free and Fair': The June 2000 Zimbabwe Election

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Periodical article

Title:	Multi-Stage Monitoring and Declaring Elections 'Free and Fair': The June 2000 Zimbabwe Election
Author:	Booysen, Susan
Year:	2002
Periodical:	Journal of African Elections
Volume:	1
Issue:	2
Period:	September
Pages:	27-54
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Zimbabwe
Subjects:	elections 2000 2002 election monitoring Politics and Government
Abstract:	This paper explores practices in and approaches to observing elections and calling elections 'free and fair' in the context of the Zimbabwe parliamentary election of June 2000. The analysis incorporates considerations of the 'politics of election observation' and the 'politics of calling elections' and examines these factors in the context of the hosting country. In contrast with the literature, which generally proposes a three-phase approach, this analysis explores the usefulness of a six-phase approach to assess the depth of electoral observation in Zimbabwe in 2000. It also assesses the nature of the 'election calls' that the observer missions issued, highlighting the extent to which the lack of systematic and extensive observation practices affects the 'reputation' of election observation. A postscript draws tentative links between the observation trends of the June 2000 parliamentary and the March 2002 presidential elections in Zimbabwe. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract, edited]