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No crisis in Zimbabwe
Sunday Mail (Zimbabwe)
April 13, 2008

http://www1.sundaymail.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=218&cat=12

South African President Thabo Mbeki has said there is no crisis in Zimbabwe as "everybody" is waiting for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to announce the results of the presidential elections.

He said the Zimbabwean law clearly stipulates that in the event that no candidate garners a clear majority in the presidential race, an election re-run will be held. This pours water on the claims of victory by the MDC leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, who is saying there is no need for a run-off.

Speaking after a meeting with President Mugabe at State House yesterday, President Mbeki said what is happening in Zimbabwe is a normal electoral process according to the laws of the country.

When he was asked whether he believed that there was a crisis in Zimbabwe, the South African leader said: "No, there has been an electoral process taking place. We are waiting. Everybody is waiting for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to announce the results that are outstanding.

"Of course there is the matter of the court case to rule, I understand on Monday, and if nobody wins with a clear majority in terms of the presidential election, the law provides that there should be a run-off and that's what is happening and I wouldn't describe that as a crisis. It's a normal electoral process according to the law of Zimbabwe."

He said the summit in Lusaka, Zambia, was called for by the chairman of Sadc, President Levy Mwanawasa, who thought that the regional leaders should meet to look at the electoral situation in Zimbabwe and "see whether we could say or do anything".

At the time of going to press the Sadc leaders were still locked up in the conference hall and were expected to issue a communique after the deliberations.

The summit was attended by eight heads of state namely Sadc chairman President Levy Mwanawasa, Presidents Mbeki, Hifikepunye Pohamba (Namibia), Jose Eduardo dos Santos (Angola), Armando Guebuza (Mozambique), Bingu waMutharika (Malawi), Joseph Kabila (DRC) and Ian Khama (Botswana).

Zimbabwe was represented at the top table by the Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The leaders of Mauritius, Lesotho and Tanzania sent representatives.

Mr Tsvangirai and his entourage were also at the summit, but sat in the public gallery.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting in Harare, President Mbeki said Mr Tsvangirai had first called him saying he would participate in a re-run, but was now saying there was no need for a re-run as he had won in the presidential race.

"Indeed he came to give his own assessment of the situation in Zimbabwe. So I listened to what he had to say. He had called earlier to say to me that if there were to be a re-run, though they believed that they had won, they would participate.

"Then when he came to see me now, he was saying they were certain that they had won and therefore don't see why there would be need for a second round because they think they have won. But of course, as I was saying earlier, this is a matter for the body authorised to release the elections. We must wait for them to release the results," said President Mbeki.

Speaking after the meeting with his South African counterpart, a relaxed President Mugabe said he had not gone to the Lusaka summit as he had appointed three ministers to represent him. He said he received the invite to the summit on Thursday.

Asked whether he had snubbed the summit, President Mugabe said: "We are very good friends (with President Mwanawasa). We are very good brothers, but sometimes we attend and sometimes we don't because we have other businesses that hold us back."

Commenting on utterances by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown that "the world is losing patience with Zimbabwe", President Mugabe said: "If Brown is the world, sure, the world is losing patience, but I know Brown as a little tiny dot in this world."

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has ordered the recounting of ballots cast in 23 House of Assembly constituencies in last month's harmonised elections following

complaints which candidates from Zanu-PF and the MDC raised over the polling process.

In an interview yesterday, ZEC chairman Justice George Chiweshe revealed that his commission had "reasonable grounds" to believe that the votes in the constituencies had been miscounted and would affect the election results.

He said all votes that were cast in the presidential, House of Assembly, Senate and council elections will be recounted on Saturday this week.

He highlighted that observers, party representatives and election candidates would be allowed to witness the process, which will be conducted at designated constituency centres.

"We are going to give notice because the parties and candidates should be part of the process just as required in an election," he said.

"All votes cast for each election in the respective constituencies will be recounted since it is the same process that resulted in the complaints that were raised."

Justice Chiweshe said the queries were raised within 48 hours of the elections as stipulated by the Electoral Act. Zanu-PF disputed polling in 22 constituencies while MDC-Tsvangirai is contesting Goromonzi West.

He pointed out that his commission had considered the objections at a later stage, as it was not bound by the same deadline.

The affected constituencies include Chimanimani West, Mutare West, Bikita West, Bikita South, Bulilima East, Zhombe, Zaka West, Zvimba North, Silobela, Chiredzi North, Gokwe-Kabuyuni and Buhera South.

Lupane East, Mberengwa East, West, North and South, Masvingo Central, Masvingo West, Gutu South, North and Central and Goromonzi West have also been enlisted for recounting.

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