Following his highly acclaimed leadership of the Commonwealth Observer\u00a0Group to last month\u2019s Tanzania general elections, the 53-nation body\u00a0of former British colonies has given former President Goodluck\u00a0Jonathan a fresh mandate to lead the charge for the resolution of the\u00a0political stalemate in the semi-independent island of Zanzibar.<\/p>\n
After the October 25 general elections which produced John Magufuli as\u00a0the new President of Tanzania, the Jonathan-led COG and other\u00a0international observers had endorsed the polling processes as\u00a0credible. However, tension rules on the island of Zanzibar, following\u00a0the nullification of the presidential election results by the local
\nelectoral body, over claims of irregularities. International observers\u00a0have continued to dispute this decision, on the grounds that both the\u00a0voting and counting processes were held in an atmosphere of peace.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth which has a history of mediating on the island has\u00a0kick-started the international efforts towards resolving the current\u00a0crisis, by appointing Jonathan as its Special representative, in what\u00a0analysts see as an affirmation of the former President\u2019s towering\u00a0status as the moral face of democracy and transparent polling in\u00a0Africa. This development was conveyed to Jonathan last week in a\u00a0letter sent to him by the Commonwealth Secretary General, Mr Kamalesh\u00a0Sharma.<\/p>\n
In the letter which Sharma personally signed, the Secretary-General\u00a0wrote: \u201cAs you are aware, the Zanzibar electoral situation remains\u00a0unsolved, although recent reports indicating willingness by the main\u00a0political parties to engage in talking is encouraging. In view of the\u00a0Commonwealth\u2019s historical role as the moral generator of the Muafaka
\nAccords, it is important that we remain engaged to continue to\u00a0encourage all concerned to resolve the situation in a peaceful and\u00a0sustainable manner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am therefore delighted and honoured that you have kindly agreed to\u00a0be my Special Representative over the coming weeks, in order to remain\u00a0in contact with key political leaders and to encourage them towards an\u00a0expeditious resolution of the impasse. I am certain that your personal\u00a0close interest can play a crucial role in building the necessary
\npolitical bridges.\u201d<\/p>\n
He further commended Jonathan for his successful leadership of the\u00a0COG, saying that he brought his rare experience to bear on the\u00a0challenging mission. Sharma said further: \u201cI am writing to thank you\u00a0once again for rendering the Commonwealth such distinguished service\u00a0through your generous personal commitment of time and your Leadership\u00a0of the Commonwealth Observer Group to last week\u2019s elections in the
\nUnited Republic of Tanzania. This has proved to be a challenging\u00a0mission and your experience and guidance has been of immeasurable\u00a0value.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former President, sources said, has set about this new mission by\u00a0quietly engaging with the key stakeholders in the disputed election. It\u00a0was gathered that a round of talks will be held in the coming weeks under\u00a0the chairmanship of Jonathan who is expected to bring all the parties\u00a0together to find a lasting solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Following his highly acclaimed leadership of the Commonwealth Observer\u00a0Group to last month\u2019s Tanzania general elections, the 53-nation body\u00a0of former British colonies has given former President Goodluck\u00a0Jonathan a fresh mandate to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n