Zimbabwe Presidential Election Results Unannounced as Rumors Abound

By M. Brandon Maggiore
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Bright Matonga, the Zanu-PF's Deputy Information Minister, and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), have rejected reports of any deal for President Mugabe to step down.  Tsvangirai has said that the MDC will not enter into any negotiations until the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) releases its results. Earlier, MDC opposition sources told the BBC that a deal for Mugabe to step down was being negotiated.

Members of the international community have called on the ZEC to release the results of the presidential election in which Tsvangirai believes the MDC has won.

The MDC will release their count of the elections results on Wednesday, yet the ZEC has not released any results for the presidential election. The delay in releasing the results has fueled the concern that Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party are rigging the election to ensure Mugabe’s victory.

The ZEC says the delay is due to the complexity of holding presidential, local, and parliamentary polls at the same time and the need to count them all simultaneously.

Independent observers report that Tsvangirai appears to have won the election. However, it is not clear whether he has received 51% or more of the vote, which is required to avoid a run-off vote between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes. A nongovernmental organization, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, predicts a run-off presidential election will have to be held.

In Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, the increase in police and military personnel has led to concern that President Mugabe is preparing to declare a state of emergency.

Parliamentary results released thus far show the MDC leading by four seats with seventy seats still outstanding. The current count is sixty-seven for the MDC, five for a break-away portion of the MDC, and sixty-eight for the Zanu-PF.

The Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) released a statement in which it said “the mission found the electoral process to be severely wanting in respect of fairness as most of the critical aspects of the process lacked transparency.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for transparency to ensure Zimbabweans are confident in the results of the election. Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the UK called for an immediate release of the election results, and the European Union has called on Mugabe to step down.

BBC News - 'No deal' for Mugabe to step down - 1 April 2008

AfricaNews – Two [of] Mugabe's ministers lose seats - 1 April 2008

allAfrica.com - Zimbabwe: Delays in Election Results Put Country On Edge - 1 April 2008

Impunity Watch - More Allegations of Election Tampering in Zimbabwe; Israeli Intelligence May Be Involve -  30 March 2008