Wilson Johwa and Foreign Staff
31 March 2008
Johannesburg — VOTE counting in Zimbabwe's elections, in which President Robert Mugabe is battling to retain power, got under way yesterday with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) already claiming victory.
Counting and verification of votes was still taking place throughout the country late last night, and official results are expected only today.
Unofficial reports yesterday pointed to a landslide victory for the MDC in the presidential, parliamentary, senatorial and council elections.
Unofficial figures seen by reporters posted outside polling stations, as required by the new Electoral Act, indicated that Mugabe, who has been in power in the country since 1980, had lost some of his grip on the rural constituencies that had religiously returned him to power for the past 27 years.
"We have won this election," Tendai Biti, secretary-general of the MDC, said yesterday .
"But the government still might steal it," he told journalists.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) criticised the MDC for claiming victory and banned state radio and television from carrying any reports on election results "until an official announcement".
Police warned the public against any "premature" celebrations, saying it would deal with those seen to be disturbing the peace.
Amid a strong security presence in most parts of the country, the head of the Pan African Parliament observer mission, Marwick Khumalo, said that he was sure most results were known, warning election officials against delaying announcements.
Reports from election agents, which the ZEC refused to confirm, indicated that as many as nine of Mugabe's ministers, including Oppah Muchinguri of women's affairs; Michael Nyambuya of energy; Didymus Mutasa, who holds the land and national security portfolios; and Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, had all lost.
Another close Mugabe ally, Elliot Manyika, who is minister without portfolio and has led Mugabe's re-election campaign, is also said to have lost in the small town of Bindura, 80km northeast of Harare where Zanu (PF) had never lost an election since independence in 1980.
The MDC faction led by Prof Arthur Mutambara is said to have lost in all but one constituency it stood in, according to the unconfirmed results. David Coltart, the Senate candidate for the Khumalo constituency, was the only Mutambara MDC candidate in Bulawayo to win a seat.
Faction secretary-general Welshman Ncube is said to have lost to Morgan Tsvangirai's deputy, Thokozani Khupe, in Makokoba while Mutambara's deputy, Gibson Sibanda, is said to have lost his seat in Nkulumane.
In Mutare, the fourth-largest city, Tsvangirai's MDC is said to have made a clean sweep and made a strong showing in the adjoining rural areas.
A presidential candidate needs at least 51% of votes to claim outright victory. Any lesser number would necessitate a run-off between the two leading candidates. Indications last night were that Tsvangirai could win by as much as 60% .
Another presidential contender, Simba Makoni, Mugabe's former finance minister, was trailing a distant third but was reported to have done well in Matabeleland South province, thanks to Dumiso Dabengwa, also a former Mugabe confidant who has great support in the region .
Rumours swirled in Harare last evening that Mugabe was beginning to make a stronger showing in his traditional stronghold, the rural areas.
This did not deter MDC supporters from taking to the streets and celebrating. Asked why he was not waiting for the ZEC to announce results, Biti said: "We don't trust the ZEC, which is not independent. We made a mistake in 2002 by not claiming our victory.
"We made a mistake in 2005 by not claiming our victory. We will not accept the results of any stolen election as a party."
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