Zimbabwe awaits end to silence on presidential vote
Friday, 4 April 2008
HARARE, Apr 3 (AFP): Zimbabweans waited anxiously Thursday for an end to a deafening official silence over the outcome of presidential elections after the opposition took control of parliament.
The electoral commission wrapped up final results on the parliamentary contest in the early hours, in which President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) lost its majority to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
State media said Mugabe now faces the likelihood of a run-off in the presidential contest against his arch-rival MDC chief Morgan Tsvangirai, who Mugabe recently pledged would never rule in his lifetime.
Presidential candidates were due to meet Thursday with electoral commission officials to witness the verification of ballots results, which were expected to be announced at the very latest by the end of Friday, commission sources said.
Frustrated with the silence from the commission, the MDC pre-emptively released its own results Wednesday indicating that Tsvangirai had won the presidency outright with more than 50 per cent of votes.
While Mugabe's government was quick to condemn the announcement, diplomatic sources indicated intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations were underway to ensure a smooth exit for the veteran leader after three decades in power.
The MDC's secretary-general Tendai Biti told a press conference in Harare Wednesday that Tsvangirai had won 50.2 per cent of votes against 43.8 per cent for Mugabe.
"Put simply he has won this election ... Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the next president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, without a run-off."
However the state-run Herald newspaper was laying the ground for a second round, predicting that Tsvangirai would "fall far short" of the total needed for an outright victory and that "a run-off appears the most likely outcome".
In the parliamentary contest, the MDC won 109 seats against 97 for ZANU-PF. An independent candidate, former information minister Jonathan Moyo, also retained his seat in the 210-member chamber.
The electoral commission wrapped up final results on the parliamentary contest in the early hours, in which President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) lost its majority to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
State media said Mugabe now faces the likelihood of a run-off in the presidential contest against his arch-rival MDC chief Morgan Tsvangirai, who Mugabe recently pledged would never rule in his lifetime.
Presidential candidates were due to meet Thursday with electoral commission officials to witness the verification of ballots results, which were expected to be announced at the very latest by the end of Friday, commission sources said.
Frustrated with the silence from the commission, the MDC pre-emptively released its own results Wednesday indicating that Tsvangirai had won the presidency outright with more than 50 per cent of votes.
While Mugabe's government was quick to condemn the announcement, diplomatic sources indicated intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations were underway to ensure a smooth exit for the veteran leader after three decades in power.
The MDC's secretary-general Tendai Biti told a press conference in Harare Wednesday that Tsvangirai had won 50.2 per cent of votes against 43.8 per cent for Mugabe.
"Put simply he has won this election ... Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the next president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, without a run-off."
However the state-run Herald newspaper was laying the ground for a second round, predicting that Tsvangirai would "fall far short" of the total needed for an outright victory and that "a run-off appears the most likely outcome".
In the parliamentary contest, the MDC won 109 seats against 97 for ZANU-PF. An independent candidate, former information minister Jonathan Moyo, also retained his seat in the 210-member chamber.