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Zimbabwe Officials Announce Election Run-Off
Reuters
Friday 02 May 2008
Harare - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat President Robert
Mugabe in the presidential election but faces a run-off vote after failing to
win an outright majority, the electoral body said on Friday.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change called the announcement of the
long-delayed result "scandalous daylight robbery." It says Tsvangirai
won more than 50 percent at the March 29 election and Mugabe's 28-year rule
is over.
But the MDC has few options. If Tsvangirai refuses to take part in a second
round of votes, then Mugabe would automatically keep his hold on power according
to electoral law.
An aide to Mugabe said the president accepted the result of the first round
and would contest the run-off.
MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti told a news conference in neighboring South
Africa that the results clearly showed that Tsvangirai should be declared president.
He said the party would decide at the weekend whether to contest a run-off.
"According to the law, the person receiving the highest number of votes
is the president of the republic of Zimbabwe with effect from the day of such
declaration," he said.
"Even on their own announcement, we have won this election and therefore
Morgan Tsvangirai is to be declared the president of the republic of Zimbabwe."
Chief Elections Officer Lovemore Sekeramayi said Tsvangirai won 47.9 percent
with Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain, on 43.2 percent.
Independent Simba Makoni, a ruling party defector, took 8.3 percent.
"Since no candidate has received the majority of the total votes cast
... a second election shall be held on a date to be announced by the commission,"
Sekeramayi said.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) will set the date of the runoff. By
law, a second round should be held within 21 days of the result, but the ZEC
has the power to extend it. Political observers say it is likely to extend the
period to within about 40 days.
The United States and former colonial power Britain questioned the credibility
of the official results more than one month after the election and voiced concern
over how fair a run-off could be.
The European Commission also called on Friday for Zimbabwe to allow international
monitors to ensure a free and fair presidential run-off after the electoral
body there said no clear winner emerged from the first round.
Opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the verification of the votes had
not been done properly.
"This whole thing is a scandal, scandalous daylight robbery and everyone
knows that," he told Reuters. "We won this election outright, and
yet what we are being given here as the outcome are some fudged figures meant
to save Mugabe and ZANU-PF."
He said the party executive would decide the next move. Initial MDC estimates
had given Tsvangirai 50.3 percent of the vote although independent and ruling
ZANU-PF party projections had suggested he was unlikely to win an outright majority.
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