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December 05, 2003

More CHOGM news: Don McKinnon, once New Zealand's foreign minister, has just been re-elected as Commonwealth secretary general, despite facing opposition from a dozen or so African countries.

They - with South Africa's Thabo Mbeki to the fore - are angry about Commonwealth treatment of Robert Mugabe. Unusually, the Sri Lankans forced a vote, with their candidate, former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, also in the ring.

"They usually like to conduct these things honourably. The vote was held in the afternoon during the second session so that Sri Lanka could withdraw their candidate, but they did not," says an unnamed Commonwealth source.

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