Zimbabwe election: victory claimed, fraud alleged
Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF, which is led by 89 year old Robert Mugabe, has claimed a landslide victory in the country’s elections – amid claims of voter irregularities.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by Morgan Tsvangiri, has alleged “monumental fraud”.
Releasing unofficial results early in Zimbabwe is illegal, but top MDC members appear to have lost their seats, even in the capital, Harare.
The leading domestic monitoring body, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, said the credibility of the vote was severely compromised, with large numbers of people turned away from polling stations in MDC strongholds.
But the head of an African Union monitoring mission said the polls initially appeared to be “peaceful, orderly, free and fair”.
If confirmed, Mugabe’s victory is likely to mean five more years of troubled relations with the West, where he is seen as responsible for human rights abuses and wrecking the economy.
