\South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Sunday that elections in Zimbabwe next year must be free and fair to elect a government accepted by all.
Only such a legitimate government can lead Zimbabwe to recover from economic difficulties at present, he said in Pretoria, the South African capital, the SAPA news agency reported.
"It's important that when those elections take place the results should not be contested ... and therefore produce a government that will be accepted by all the people of Zimbabwe as a legitimate government emerging out of a democratic process," he said.
Mbeki was earlier tasked by the Southern African Development Community to mediate between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the opposition MDC party in a bid to resolve the political crisis.
On Sunday he said he was "quite confident" that a settlement between the parties would be reached.
He said the economic recovery was a "major challenge" and would have to be led by a government whose legitimacy should not be contested.
Zimbabwe's economy is at breaking point under runaway inflation, which has reportedly hit 13,000 percent in June and where even basic foods are in short supply.
Mbeki admitted that woes in South Africa's northern neighbor would have an influence on South Africa.
"South Africa inevitably would carry the biggest burden of the consequences of any negative development in Zimbabwe," he said.
Source: Xinhua
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