Mutambara MDC, Zanu PF lose ground as "unofficial" results emerge

HARARE – There is anxiety in Zimbabwe as the government-appointed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is taking its time to announce results from yesterday harmonised elections.

People were expecting that at least by midday some results from the parliamentary and ward elections would have been announced. So far the opposition MDC has claimed victory following information from its agents. Text messages and word of mouth is spreading in Zimbabwe that President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF has lost about nine politburo members so far in the election.

These include Joyce Mujuru, who is said to be trailing the MDC Tsvangirai’s Gora Madzudzo. Also said to have lost are Ignatius Chombo, Elliot Manyika and Sikhanyiso Ndlovu. Mujuru, Chombo and Manyika all contested in Zanu PF's supposed strongholds.

Also said to have lost their parliamentary seats are Arthur Mutambara MDC’s candidates in Harare Trudy Stevenson, Gabriel Chaibva, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Mutambara himself lost in Chitungwiza where he was hoping to win and join Parliament.

All of Mutambara MDC candidates in Matebeleland, Bulawayo in particular, lost their seats except David Coltart. Welshman Ncube and deputy leader Gibson Sibanda have all lost their seats.

The Mutambara MDC is said to have accepted defeat. "We have been beaten," a faction member told zimbabwejournalistscom. "What is now needed as the results are announced is for those who have lost to accept defeat and let the country move on. Good luck to those who have won and better luck to us next time. No complaints at all."

"We also hear Zanu PF is losing and hope that Mugabe and his army respect the will of the people, that is what democracy is all about. We do not want another Kenya here so let us get on with it and announce the results."

These results are all unofficial but the Tsvangirai MDC claims it is on the way to forming a new government in Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile the Zimbabwe government and the body overseeing the country’s general elections rapped the country's main opposition party on Sunday for claiming victory even before any results had been announced.

"The commission notes with concern that some stakeholders have gone on to announce purported results of the poll when in fact the results are being verified and collated," Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chief elections officer Lovemore Sekeramayi said in a statement.

"Those results are not official results of the poll. The official results will be announced to the nation by the commission and it urges the nation to bear with it while it completes the process of collation and verification."

Officials said they would begin announcing results of the presidential, parliamentary and local polls on Sunday. Voting ended at 7PM on Saturday.

Zimbabwe's security forces, which have thrown their backing firmly behind Mugabe, said before the election they would not allow a victory declaration before counting was complete.

"I leave ZEC to deal with the technical issues which [Morgan] Tsvangirai (MDC leader) is raising, but in respect of his threats to usurp the powers of ZEC by turning the MDC into an electoral commission, I hope Tsvangirai is in full charge of his faculties," government spokesman George Charamba told the state-owned Sunday Mail.

"How will it play? He announces results, declares himself and MDC the winner and then what? Declare himself the president of Zimbabwe? It is called a coup d’etat and we all know how coups are handled."

Residents in the eastern opposition stronghold of Manicaland said riot police stopped a victory demonstration by about 200 MDC supporters. There was no violence, they said.

The statements came after the opposition MDC held a press conference in which its secretary-general Tendai Biti said the party had "won this election beyond any reasonable doubt".

Biti based his statement on partial unofficial results collated at polling stations where counting had been completed.

The MDC also said that the ZEC, a theoretically independent body whose executives are appointed by President Robert Mugabe, was not to be trusted.

Sekeramayi, however, said patience was needed while the process to count the results from Saturday's joint presidential, parliamentary and council elections was completed.

"Zimbabwe, we will come back to you with the official results in due course and we urge all stakeholders to be patient and wait for the exercise to be completed," he said.

"We wish to commend the nation for a peaceful and tranquil electoral process. Counting of results commenced last night and as I speak, the results of all the four elections are being collated and will be announced as and when they are received."

Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, faced his most formidable challenge in the election against MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and ruling Zanu PF party defector Simba Makoni campaigning on the collapse of Zimbabwe's economy.

Although the odds seem stacked against Mugabe, 84, analysts believe he will be declared the winner, and the opposition accused him of widespread vote-rigging.

African observers say they detected fraud in Saturday's ballot.

Mugabe, who accuses the West of sabotaging Zimbabwe's economy, expressed confidence on Saturday he would be returned to office. "We will succeed. We will conquer," he said.

He rejected vote-rigging allegations.