By Own Correspondent
A Palestine Observer Mission led by Mr Hisham Kuhail has commended the just ended voting process that it complied with best international standards.
Addressing journalists, the head of the mission, Mr Hisham Kuhail said despite the polling delays in some constituencies, the voting process was in accordance with the best international practices.
“Despite the delay, opening procedures were transparent and were carried out according to international standards. Polling staff proofed to be competent and were able to explain all procedures to local observers and parties agents in clear and easy way,” Mr Kuhail said.
The mission says from all the polling stations they visited there were no reports of voter intimidation and manipulation
” No indication what so ever of voters intimidation or votes buying were noticed, “he added.
Apart from Mr Kuhail, who is the Chief Electoral Officer of the Central Elections Commission of Palestine (CEC),the observer mission also has
Mr. Jameel Alkhaldi, the Director of the regional office of CEC in Gaza, Ms. Tamara Tibi, legal researcher at the Ministry of Women Affairs, Mr. Safwan Halabi, the Director General of Elections at the Ministry of Local Governance, and Mr. Iyad Mohammad, the Director of East and Central Africa and African Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The team covered 6 voting centres namely; Avondale Primary School, Strat Haven Tents, Belvedere Teachers College, Chisipite Girls School, and Nenyere Tents in Mbare.
The Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Tamer Almassri said while there could be reports of some electoral malpractices the mission is basing its report on where it observed.
“From the places we observed we are 100 percent satisfied with the voting process and we can’t comment on what we didn’t notice,” said the Palestinian envoy.
Zimbabwe held its watershed elections on Wednesday but some polling stations had to vote on Thursday after voting day was extended due to late delivery of voting material.
