We, the representatives of 135 national parliaments meeting in Cape Town at the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union hereby declare:

We are deeply concerned that almost three weeks after elections were held in Zimbabwe, results have not been fully released. We call for their immediate publication. Further delays can only be detrimental to the crumbling credibility of the process and its results.

The people of Zimbabwe have a right to determine their future through free and fair elections, as enshrined in the universally accepted norms and standards, as well as the continental (African Union) and SADC Principles and Guidelines governing democratic elections.

We express our solidarity with the efforts of the SADC Heads of State to resolve the electoral stalemate in Zimbabwe. Should there be a need for a re-run of the elections, we strongly urge the authorities of Zimbabwe to invite, among others, continental and regional inter-parliamentary organisations, notably the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the SADC Parliamentary Forum, as well as regional civil society election observer institutions such as the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA). We further urge that all observer missions be afforded unimpeded access to the entire electoral process, as provided for in the regional electoral norms, principles and guidelines.

In conclusion, we reiterate our call to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release all the results of the election with immediate effect. We also call upon the Zimbabwe authorities to lift all restrictions on freedom of assembly and speech in Zimbabwe immediately. We urge that Parliament be convened as soon as possible so that the people of Zimbabwe are not deprived of their rightful voice in the government of their country. In the meantime, we call on the Zimbabwe authorities to exercise restraint and maintain peace. We encourage all parliaments, as institutions of democracy and oversight, to continue to exert their influence until this matter is resolved in its entirety.

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Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 118th Assembly and related meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" in PDF format (file size approximately 547K). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

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