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 19 July 2008 15:49 BST

Zimbabwe opposition keeps seats in recount results

Saturday, 26 Apr 2008 18:51
Zimbabwe opposition retains seats after recount
A recount of votes cast in 23 of Zimbabwe's constituencies has not resulted in any results being overturned so far.

On March 29th, the people of Zimbabwe chose representatives in 230 constituencies at the local, parliamentary and senate level and also picked their choice for the southern African country's president.

Votes cast in 23 of the country's localities had been contested by the ruling party and are now being counted again.

A total of 13 results have been announced by the southern African state's electoral commission with both government and opposition victors keeping their seats.

Ten results remain to be announced with government candidates having to win 9 of the remaining seats in order to overturn the opposition's nine-seat parliamentary majority.

Even though parliamentary results continue to be announced, no official news about the country's presidential elections is yet to be released.

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has left for neighbouring South Africa, has previously claimed victory in the presidential elections on the basis of unofficial results posted outside polling stations. He has now left the country voicing fears of a crackdown by the government.

Yesterday, the MDC's office in the capital Harare was raided by police officers. Over a hundred party activists were arrested and computers and other equipment were also taken into custody.

The four-week delay in announcing complete results of the polls and the recount in 23 constituencies has raised fears about the ruling Zanu-PF party trying to change the results of the election in order to stay in power.

British prime minister Gordon Brown told a session of the United Nations security council last week: "No one thinks having seen the results in polling stations that President Mugabe has won this election. A stolen election would not be a democratic election at all."

President Robert Mugabe, 84, who has ruled the country since it won independence from Britain in 1980, has previously rejected the UK's criticism of the electoral process and urged it not to interfere in the country's internal matters.

Zimbabwe is in the midst of an economic crisis with food shortages and a rate of inflation exceeding 150,000 per cent with unemployment at close to 80 per cent as well.End of story


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