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The wait goes on in Zim
13/04/2008 21:19 - (SA)
Harare - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) called on Sunday on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to quickly release the results of presidential elections held two weeks ago as the ZEC bowed to demands from President Robert Mugabe's party for a partial recount.
A wait of more than two weeks for the official results of the March 29 elections has fuelled tensions in Zimbabwe between supporters of Mugabe and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai
The MDC claims Tsvangirai won the vote, ending Mugabe's 28-year rule. Mugabe's Zanu-PF says neither won outright and that a run-off election is needed.
In a communique issued after marathon emergency talks on the dispute in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, SADC leaders called on all sides to respect the outcome when announced by the ZEC.
If it came to a run-off, "the Zimbabwe government should ensure that the elections are held in a secure environment", and in strict compliance with the rule of law and SADC electoral standards, said the SADC, offering to send an observer team.
In the meantime, the SADC would send observers to monitor the ongoing vote counting and verification, which has been moved to a secret location and which the bloc said should be open to scrutiny by opposition candidates.
Mugabe boycotted the SADC summit after his party declared there was no need for the meeting because there was "no crisis".
Recount on April 19
The SADC's mediator in Zimbabwe, President Thabo Mbeki, also took that line after meeting Mugabe in Harare before the summit, saying the stand-off did not constitute a crisis.
In the meantime, the ZEC announced it would undertake a recount of results from 23 constituencies after allegations by Zanu-PF that the MDC bribed election officials to deflate Mugabe's vote - claims the MDC rejects.
The recount of votes cast in the presidential, parliamentary and local elections would take place on April 19, said the election body.
The MDC has opposed the recount.
MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said: "We will not accept any recount because for us that is accepting rigged results.
"The ZEC are in custody of the ballot boxes for two weeks and heavens know what they have done to the ballot papers. They might have stuffed them with their votes."
The MDC accuses Mugabe of seeking to overturn its win in elections to the House of Assembly (lower house of parliament) and what it claims as Tsvangirai's victory in the presidential vote.
The party said the country's High Court on Friday had issued an order against the ZEC to stop it from recounting election results.
MDC lawyer Selby Hwacha said the MDC approached the court late on Friday for a court order against the ZEC after the commission first notified the party of the planned recount.
'Second bite at cherry'
"The judge found it not just illegal, but grossly unreasonable, to order a recount before the result was out," Hwacha told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) claiming the court issued an "order by consent" against the recount.
The announcement by the ZEC on Sunday of a recount was its "second bite at the cherry", said Hwacha.
The High Court, meanwhile, is due to rule on Monday on a separate application by the MDC for a court order forcing the ZEC to release the presidential results. - Sapa-dpa
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