HARARE, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The African Union has commended the pre-election peace prevailing in Zimbabwe and has urged the nation to maintain it during and after national elections slated for next Wednesday.
AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana-Dhlamini Zuma told a press briefing that the Commission was satisfied with the progress so far in Zimbabwe's preparations for the polls.
Zuma arrived in Zimbabwe on Wednesday and on Thursday met three presidential candidates- President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Kisinoti Mukwazhe.
She also met with Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
"On the whole, the impression that we got from them (presidential candidates) is that the preparations up to now are satisfactory," Zuma said.
"We also appreciate the peaceful nature up to now and plead with every Zimbabwean to keep the peace right up to the end," she added.
Zuma also implored losing parties in the polls to avoid violence but to take their concerns to the courts.
"If anyone is unhappy with the poll result and want to challenge it, please do it legally through the national legal channels and not through the streets because the streets will cause tension and violence that we don't need," she said.
Those who win, she said, must also celebrate in a responsible manner that guarantees security to every Zimbabwean.
Zuma confirmed that former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo will arrive in Zimbabwe Saturday to head the 60-member short-term AU election observer mission.
The 60 members will join 10 long-term observers from the continental body that has been in the country since June 15.
Meanwhile, the AU released its pre-election report in which it acknowledged the peaceful and calm environment in Zimbabwe but expressed concern over insufficient voter education and the fact that thousands of people were unable to register due to limited time.
The Mission said it noted the lack of adequate space for participation of civil society in the electoral process, particularly in voter education despite the existence of legislative provisions that enables ZEC and other civil society organizations to conduct voter education.
"The Mission is of the view that the registration process could have benefited from greater cross-sectoral collaboration between ZEC and civil society," it said.
Zimbabweans go to the polls next Wednesday to elect a new president, legislators and local councilors.
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