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Zimbabwe slowly releases vote results
Angus Shaw, Associated Press
March 31, 2008

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jaGkiD_oeuNCWUEr7YyXikc7dKZQD8VOCET00

Harare — Zimbabwe's Election Commission released a handful of results Monday from presidential and legislative elections, announcing an equal number of wins for both parties after a delay that raised tensions amid fears of rigging.

But the opposition party claimed unofficial partial results showed it had garnered 60 percent of the vote, compared with only 30 for President Robert Mugabe's in the toughest challenge yet to the leader's 28-year rule.

In an early morning nationwide broadcast on radio and television Monday, deputy chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana declared results for six parliament seats — three for Mugabe's ruling party, three for the opposition.

Then he went off the air, saying, "We'll be back with you when we have more results."

Four hours later, the commission announced results for another 18 parliament seats — nine each for the ruling and opposition parties. Those results included Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa losing his seat in a former ruling party rural stronghold.

The piecemeal announcements could not be explained. Election observers have said some initial results were known as early as 11 p.m. Saturday night, some four hours after polls closed. In previous elections, partial results have been announced within hours of voting ending.

"Clearly the delay is fueling speculation that something might be going on," said Noel Kututwa, chairman of several civic, church and other groups.

Following the initial announcements from the government, Secretary-General Tendai Biti of the opposition Movement for Democratic Changes told reporters that the party had won 96 seats in the House of Assembly. Biti said the results were based on vote counts posted on polling stations for 128 of the Assembly's 210 seats.

Voting in Saturday's elections was generally peaceful. But discontent with Mugabe has grown around the country, where unemployment stands at 80 percent. The same percentage of Zimbabweans survives on less than $1 a day. Inflation is the highest in the world at more than 100,000 percent and people suffer crippling shortages of food, water, electricity, fuel and medicine.

Running against Mugabe is chief opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, 55, who narrowly lost disputed 2002 elections, and former ruling party loyalist and Finance Minister Simba Makoni, 58.

If no presidential candidate wins 50 percent plus one vote, there will be a runoff.

While in general results were posted outside of polling stations, none were posted at stations in Mugabe's birthplace of Zvimba, southwest of Harare. Independent monitors suggested that was because the ruling party has lost at least one parliament seat there — a loss that would amount to a crushing blow.

The monitors, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release results, said six Cabinet ministers — among them some leading members of Mugabe's inner circle — had lost their parliament seats. They include Vice President Joyce Mujuru; Didymus Mutasa, minister of state for security and land; Defense Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, and the justice minister.

"We'll give Mugabe time to accept defeat," opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa told The Associated Press on Monday. "Even if they are trying to rig, they won't succeed. Our victory is overwhelming."

Security and government officials loyal to Mugabe have warned Tsvangirai against declaring a victory. "It is called a coup d'etat and we all know how coups are handled," chief presidential spokesman George Charamba was quoted as saying in the state-controlled Sunday Mail newspaper.

On Sunday, Electoral Commission chairman Judge George Chiweshe was forced to flee a Harare hotel after he was mobbed by journalists and citizens. "We want results," they yelled.

Chiweshe said the counting was taking time because Zimbabweans — for the first time — voted for president, the two houses of Parliament and local councilors at on time, requiring four ballots to be counted for each voter instead of one.

The head of the Pan-African Parliament observer mission said Sunday that the delay was creating "anxiety."

"These are the delays that start causing problems," the observer leader, Marwick Khumalo, told South African Broadcasting Corp. TV. He said he was sure the Electoral Commission knew most results.

Earlier on Sunday, people celebrated in the streets, dancing, singing and giving each other the openhanded wave that is the opposition party's symbol. Mugabe's is a clenched fist.

But by sundown, as frustrations grew, riot police and other security forces were patrolling the capital's densely populated suburbs.

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