Zimbabwe opposition claims victory ahead of official results
Sunday, 30 Mar 2008 19:49
Zimbabwe's current president Robert Mugabe has ruled the country since it won independence in 1980
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Zimbabwean opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has claimed victory in Saturday's elections, citing unofficial results.
Voters in the southern
African country went to the polls yesterday to elect a president as well as representatives in parliament, senate and local government.
Vote counting is underway but an official announcement from the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) is yet to come.
Incumbent president Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since the country gained independence from Britain in 1980, is up against Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai and a former member of his own party, Simba Makoni.
MDC secretary general Tendai Biti said information from polling agents indicated that the party was ahead on all ballots present to voters. Speaking at a news conference, he repeated fears of vote rigging by saying that he didn’t trust the country's election body.
Explaining the reasons behind claiming an early victory, he said: "We are protecting our vote. We don't trust 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."
Meanwhile a senior official in the country's ministry for information has criticised the MDC's move saying that Mr Tsvangirai was bringing into question the normal process of electing a president.
George Charamba, permanent secretary at the ministry of information, told state-run newspaper Sunday Mail: "He announces results, declares himself and the MDC winner and then what? Declare himself president of Zimbabwe? It is called a coup d'etat and we all know how coups are handled."
Zimbabwe has an inflation rate of over 100,000 per cent and an unemployment rate that has crossed 80 per cent, according to official figures.