ZIMBABWE: PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS - 2005 3 Unfortunately, the tabulation process failed to be as transparent as could be expected, and the detailed aggregation of polling station results up to constituency level has not been made available. This would raise serious concerns in any election. In addition, observation reports from a selection of polling stations in some constituencies have prompted reasonable questions about the results, which could only be removed by publication of all official polling station results. Apart from the doubts in connection with the tabulation, the Election Day was good and conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. The constraints on organising an opposition and distributing a critical message did not, however, accommodate a free contest of opinions and minds. Standards and Conventions After the elections in 2000 and 2002 there were discussions about what standards would be relevant to an election in Africa in general, and in Zimbabwe in particular. European observer teams were accused of using European standards to assess the Zimbabwe elections, without understanding the specific needs of an African country. The response to the accusations was that the violations were so blatant that the question of standards was academic at best. Neither the level of violence nor the obstruction of the polling in the cities (2002), where despite waiting in line from early in the morning people did not reach the polling stations, could possibly be seen as complying with any standard. Nevertheless, the choice of standards is important. Zimbabwe is committed to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (UN) and has signed the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa. The Zimbabwean Government also participated in the development of, and on August 2004 agreed to, the SADC Standards and even though these are not legally binding, the Government has invested a lot of political capital in adherence to them. The SADC Parliamentary Forum has also worked out a set of detailed standards to be used when delegations observe elections, but these standards are not legally binding for governments. President Benjamin William Mkapa of Tanzania said in a speech in the SADC summit in Mauritius on 16 August 2004 in his capacity as Chairperson of SADC: We are tired of being lectured on democracy by the very countries, which under colonialism, either directly denied us the rights of free citizens, or were indifferent to our suffering and yearning to break free and democratic. … Today we are equally