Harare — THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is scheduled to start announcing results of the 2008 harmonised elections at 6am today, after undergoing the necessary verification and authentication, ZEC chairman Justice George Chiweshe, announced last night.

Justice Chiweshe said although some voters might have known the results in their respective areas, ZEC was the sole election authority responsible for announcing the results.

"We envisage that by that time, all results would have reached us at the national command centre and subsequently verified.

"The commission is pleased to announce that we have received most of the results and that the necessary verification process is being done. We will start announcing the results as at 6am March 31, 2008.

"We know that the results have been eagerly-awaited both within and outside our borders, but it is of absolute necessity that the results be meticulously verified so that they bare credible," said Justice Chiweshe.

He said the commission had not delayed announcing the results and called on the nation to understand that the harmonised polls were a mammoth exercise that required more time.

"Before harmonisation we would start receiving results on the morning after polling and we would be done in about 24 hours. At that time there were just 120 constituencies but we now have 210 House of Assembly constituencies. In addition to this there are 60 Senate constituencies and a thousand-plus local government wards as well as the presidential election.

"All things being equal, this process should take us four days but we have managed in 48 hours and this is by all standards a record," he said.

Justice Chiweshe said although ward, Senate and House of Assembly results could be announced by designated officers at the voting centre, Presidential results could only be announced at the national command centre.

"The Presidential result has to be declared and can therefore only be announced at national level. That can only be done at the national command centre.

"I would like to reiterate that ZEC and it alone is the sole election authority," he said.