Zimbabwe Announces First Results

Zimbabwe's election commission has announced the delayed first results of presidential and legislative elections. The six parliamentary constituencies were split between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The delay in announcing results had fuelled speculation about vote rigging. The polls pit the MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai and the independent Simba Makoni against President Mugabe, Zimbabwe's leader since 1980. The MDC has already claimed victory, on the basis of the partial, unofficial results. Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu accused the MDC of "speculation and lies" and "causing unnecessary havoc". Riot police have been patrolling the capital, Harare, and residents have been told to stay indoors. 'Mammoth exercise' House of Assembly, Senate and local elections were also held on Saturday, and election officials say that this is why results have been slow to come. "It's an absolute necessity that all results be meticulously analysed at this stage," George Chiweshe, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, said earlier. "The commission is aware that these results are eagerly awaited both within and outside our borders. However, it should be born in mind that it is a mammoth national exercise," he added. But Noel Kututwa, the head of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, said: "The delay in announcing these results is fuelling speculation that there could be something going on." Separately, Marwick Khumalo, who headed the Pan-African Parliamentary Observer Mission, expressed concern that the delays would "start causing problems in a country". Poll monitors from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said the elections had been "peaceful and credible". But two SADC members from South Africa refused to sign a generally positive preliminary report of the mission, with one of them calling the polls "deeply flawed". Most Western observers were banned from the election. 'Swept the board' Myjoyonline Ghana News Photos | Twenty-four hours after the polls closed, MDC supporters were celebrating in some areas after the party's leader claimed to have won 67% of the vote, on the basis of what they said were returns from one-third of polling stations. "We have won this election," said the secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Tendai Biti. "This trend is irreversible." Government spokesman George Charamba warned the MDC against an early victory claim. "It is called a coup d'etat and we all know how coups are handled," Mr Charamba said. The more slowly-counted votes from the rural areas, where President Mugabe, 84, has always had majority support, may decide the final outcome. A spokesman for Mr Makoni told the BBC News website that the MDC had "swept the board" in the parliamentary election. Rigging fears A British Foreign Office minister, Mark Malloch-Brown, said it was "quite likely" that President Mugabe had lost the election in Zimbabwe, despite "massive pre-election day cheating". A candidate needs more than 50% in the presidential vote to avoid a run-off in three weeks' time. Across the country on Saturday, there were reports of voters not being allowed to cast ballots. But many voters told the BBC the system had worked efficiently and the atmosphere was good. After voting in Harare, Mr Mugabe, who is seeking a sixth term, said: "We don't rig elections. I cannot sleep with my conscience if I have rigged." The MDC says it is fighting to save Zimbabwe's economy. The country has the world's highest inflation rate, at more than 100,000%, and just one adult in five is believed to have a regular job.