Zimbabwe
June 2008
On 27 June incumbent President Robert Mugabe stood as the only candidate and was subsequently declared the winner. (On 2 May the Electoral Commission had revealed that neither of the two leading contenders managed an outright win, but on 22 June the opposition candidtate had withdrawn citing the absence of conditions for credible elections.) Following a request by Belgium, the Council held an open meeting on 23 June where it was briefed by the Under Secretary- General for political affairs on the situation in the country. The Council adopted a presidential statement in which it condemned the campaign of violence against the opposition, called on Zimbabwe’s government to stop the violence, political intimidation and restrictions on the right of assembly, release detained political leaders and cooperate with all efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution. Finally, it noted that the results of the 29 March elections should be respected. On 19 June, the US Secretary of State had convened a closed meeting of diplomats and humanitarian groups and urged the Council to take stronger action against the violence in Zimbabwe. From 12 to 18 June, the Security Council held consultations on the situation of presidential elections.
