MDC wants poll results released
05/04/2008 12:48  - (SA)  

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Mugabe 'planning revenge' MDC appeals to UN Week on from polls, Zim waits 'No evidence of fraud in poll'

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Harare - Zimbabwe's opposition was pushing for the high court to consider an urgent petition on Saturday demanding the immediate release of results from last weekend's presidential election, its lawyer said.

"We are doing everything in our powers to have it heard today but we are not expecting anything before lunchtime," Alec Muchadehama said.

"We have no reason why they have not yet announced the results and are beginning to take issue on whether ZEC (Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission) is independent or not."

According to the MDC application, a copy of which has been seen by AFP, the party says the week-long silence over the results cannot be justified.

"The delays in announcing the presidential election result is unjustified and has generated so much anxiety within the applicants' members, the nation at large and even in the international community," reads the application which was lodged at the court on Friday.

"The applicant has the right to access such information upon demand and request.

"The delays in announcing the election results are creating an undesirable opportunity for tampering with the results of the poll and thereby casting into doubt the authenticity and reliability of the eventual results to be declared."

While the ZEC has already announced the results from parliament, giving the MDC a marginal win over President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party, there has still been no word on the outcome of the simultaneous presidential election.

The MDC says there can be no justification for the hold-up as the results of both the parliamentary and presidential elections have already been posted outside each of the 9 000-odd polling stations.

Counting at polling stations was over and done with within hours and results were generally known within the day, but ZEC says it needs time to collate the results before officially proclaiming victors.

"It's an exercise to delay an announcement of what they are supposed to know already," said Muchadehama.

The MDC has published its own results, saying its leader Morgan Tsvangirai just scraped past the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second round run-off.

Zanu-PF has acknowledged Mugabe did not deliver a knock-out blow to Tsvangirai in the first round and gave him the green light on Friday to contest a run-off.

- AFP

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