“The Young Liberals of Southern Africa, and its partner organisations; the Organisation of African Liberal Youth and the International Federation of Liberal Youth; wish to congratulate the Zimbabwean Government and the people of Zimbabwe, for having taken the responsibility of having scheduled parliamentary and presidential elections to be held in early 2008.
Irrespective of the outcome, of the forthcoming elections, it is our fervent desire that the process leading up to the elections, the actual elections themselves and the transitional arrangements for the establishment of the new government, after the elections; must be free and fair; and considerate of the rights of all Zimbabweans.
It is also our absolute demand that the integrity and sovereignty of the Zimbabwean state and the Zimbabwean people; must be respected; and despite the intentions of various peoples; that these elections must not be used a platform for foreign powers to destabilise, undermine or super-impose upon, the sovereign nation of Zimbabwe, any determinants which seek to bias the views of voters and the people of Zimbabwe in any way.
Finally we call for the immediate lifting of all and every sanction, travel ban and censure which has been imposed upon the state of Zimbabwe, the Government of Zimbabwe and more specifically the leadership of the sovereign state of Zimbabwe; because without an open, free trade environment, no economy will be able to grow and develop in order to feed and nurture its people.
We commit ourselves to working with the SADC to achieve the objective of eradicating poverty at both a policy and grassroots level; and call on all Young Southern Africans, all over the world; to play their part in this our most urgent endeavour.”
5th November 2007, Young Liberals of Southern Africa
Avishkar Govender
eThekwini-Durban
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
SADC - AU