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EU may rethink aid if election is deemed unfair

    JOHANNESBURG

    The European Commission said that it will “rethink” its aid programmes in Zimbabwe if the country’s 24-25 June elections are deemed unfair and the violence worsened, news reports said.

    Speaking in the European Parliament, EU Development Commissioner Poul Nielson said an immediate suspension of assistance “would be manipulated and interpreted” as a “neo-colonial attempt to sway the vote”.

    He added that in a “worse-case scenario” the European Commission would reconsider aid if the polls are not free and fair or if the violence escalates. “Suspension would be economically crippling for Zimbabwe and would worsen the crisis there,” he warned.

    Since 1994 the EU has given an estimated US $28 million per year to Zimbabwe. Most of the money has gone to poverty alleviation projects.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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