The United Nations chief in Zimbabwe has rejected claims by the Sunday Mail that the organisation is plotting to rig upcoming elections to remove President Robert Mugabe from office.
On Wednesday, Bishow Parajuli, the U.N. resident coordinator in Zimbabwe, addressed the accusations of political interference and said:
It is totally false. In fact, in every issue the U.N. is engaged in, the government is aware. We never deal on political matters like that. We are working on purely development and humanitarian matters.
He was joined at a news conference by Mugabe’s chief secretary, Misheck Sibanda, who reaffirmed Parajuli’s statement. Said Sibanda:
UNDP means what? United Nations Development Program. And their job is to promote development. This is why we are together. I think [the election] is an issue you [the media] want to blow out of proportion.
On Wednesday, the U.N. chief in Zimbabwe said decisions about the purchase of the BVR equipment remain up to the government.
More: VOA