Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai urged Nigeria and the African Union yesterday to help ensure his country does not become "another Ivory Coast" amid disagreement over coming elections.
Tsvangirai said this to reporters after meeting with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.
"I am just updating him so that they can play a more active role in ensuring that we can go to the elections next year, hopefully in a free and fair manner, so that we put a closure to the dispute in Zimbabwe," he said.
"I was requesting President Jonathan to play a much more active role. Nigeria and the brother AU must be involved actively in support of the [Southern African Development Community] initiative, but also to ensure that we don't have a repeat of Ivory Coast."
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai have disagreed on a date for new polls, with Mugabe insisting on this year while Tsvangirai wants reforms first.
Last November's Ivory Coast poll led to a five-month standoff and two weeks of hostilities sparked by Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to concede to Alassane Ouattara.
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