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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Deborah Hakes +1-404-420-5124

ATLANTA, GA....The Carter Center announced today that it received an invitation from the Zambian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to observe the 2006 elections, but has decided not to pursue involvement in the upcoming elections.

The Carter Center observed the last elections in Zambia in 2001, and concluded that the process did not meet minimum international standards because of a lack of transparency and credibility in the tabulation of final results.  The Center's final report included a series of recommendations for electoral reform that it hoped would be enacted before the 2006 elections.  

The Center's decision not to observe the 2006 elections is based on disappointment over Zambia's failure to enact meaningful electoral and constitutional reforms, and the demands of current Carter Center commitments on election projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guyana, and Nicaragua.

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The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, the Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 65 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching farmers to increase crop production. Please visit www.cartercenter.org to learn more about The Carter Center.