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Sections News Editorial/Opinion Cover Choice Arts & Life Business Politics Sports   Subscription Form Click here       Daily Independent Online.         * Friday, August 13, 2004. Why we’ll allow foreign monitors for US poll, by State Dept By Chinedu Offor Correspondent, Washington D.C.   Acceptance of foreign observers to monitor November's Presidential election  is not an indication that the United States can no longer  organise a free and fair  poll,  State Department officials have said. This comes on the heels of what diplomats said is an unprecedented  decision by the State Department to  allow the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)  monitor  the election. The decision is a fall out of the controversial 2000 election, especially in Florida, which gave victory to President George Bush at  the expense of then Vice President Al Gore. Democrats insist that Gore would have won the election if foreign observers were present to it. Their argument is that foreign observers would have deterred state officials from allegedly preventing thousands of African Americans from voting, which would have given the state to Gore enough to win the Presidency. Since the election, Democrats have questioned the legitimacy of Bush and have used every avenue to pressure the administration to  allow observers in. The Republican Party opposes the demand, arguing that it reduces the  influence of the U.S. to act as an observer in elections especially in the developing democracies of Africa and Asia. Party officials reluctantly endorsed the idea only  after Democrats threatened to  bring the Florida ballot up during a Presidential debate between Bush and contender John Kerry. Democrat representative Barbara Lee hailed the move as a step in the right direction to ensure the poll will be free and fair. The fears of the Republicans, however, appear to be well founded.   According to  an African diplomat, "if they are now admitting they could not get it right without observers, they have no  moral justification to criticise African governments of being unable to organise free and fair elections".         Copyright� 2002. All Rights Reserved Independent Newspapers Limited Block5, Plot 7D, Wempco Road, Ogba, P.M.B. 21777, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. www.independentng.com e-mail: [email protected]

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