ATLANTA, GA… Â鶹´«Ã½ has opened an office in Lusaka to begin formal in-country observation of preparations leading to Zambia's presidential and parliamentary elections due later this year.
"The 2001 elections are important to future democratic development in Zambia and throughout southern Africa," said Dr. David Carroll, associate director of the Â鶹´«Ã½'s Democracy Program. "Our goal is to demonstrate the international community's support for free and fair elections and to provide an impartial assessment of Zambia's electoral process."
Â鶹´«Ã½ Lusaka Field Office Director Dawn Del Rio will oversee pre-election observation activities on the ground, including the deployment of five election volunteers, who will travel across Zambia to observe and report on technical preparations for the vote. The Center plans to deploy a team of about 25 observers throughout Zambia on election day.
This will be the second election observation project in Zambia for Â鶹´«Ã½, which observed the 1991 election of President Frederick Chiluba. Earlier this year, the Center was invited by the Zambian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to observe and assess the elections.
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