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Mugabe loses Zim parliament
26/04/2008 22:28 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has won a historic victory over President Robert Mugabe's ruling party, official results confirmed on Saturday following a partial vote recount.
The results in 18 of 23 constituencies under the microscope stayed the same after the recount of a March 29 vote won by the opposition, officials from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said.
The remaining seats were not enough for the ruling party to win a majority.
ZEC chairperson George Chiweshe said that a recount of votes in the presidential election also held on March 29 should be completed by Monday, but could not say when the results would be announced.
Four weeks after the elections, no results from the presidential vote have been released despite mounting international pressure.
Delaying tactics
The opposition has accused the authorities of delaying tactics in order to mount a campaign of intimidation.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won an outright majority over the 84-year-old Mugabe.
Supporters of the ruling Zanu-PF party say no candidate won more than 50% and there should be a run-off.
Britain and the United States have put pressure on Mugabe to concede defeat, with US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer arguing that post-electoral violence makes a second round of voting impossible.
The MDC said on Saturday that at least 15 of its supporters had been killed since the elections in politically-motivated attacks in this troubled southern African nation and called on human rights monitors to help end the violence.
"So far we have recorded 15, but the carnage is worse than that because of the iron curtain that has been imposed on the villages. People are being killed like flies and buried in the villages," MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said.
The victory marked a historic moment for Zimbabwe even though the country has a strong presidential system of rule given that Zanu-PF has controlled parliament ever since independence from Britain in 1980.
The MDC has accused Zanu-PF supporters of attempting to rig the recount and of mounting a campaign of intimidation to force opposition activists to vote for Mugabe and the ruling party.
Police have not confirmed any of the deaths claimed by the opposition and have accused the MDC of putting out "lies" about attacks and voter intimidation in a bid to stir up unrest in Zimbabwe.
Ship can dock
A police spokesperson was quoted in The Herald, a government mouthpiece, as saying that 215 opposition supporters had been detained in a swoop on MDC headquarters in Harare on Friday in a search for suspected arsonists.
In Britain, Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned the spiralling violence in Zimbabwe on Saturday and pledged intensified international action following a planned UN Security Council debate next week.
"I condemn the violence against those who voted for change. Their voices must be heard," Brown said in a statement. He has previously said that "no one believes" Mugabe won the election.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi Frazer, who is on a tour of the region aimed at cutting off support for Mugabe, has said that Tsvangirai won a clear victory and should head any new government.
Frazer met with Tsvangirai on Thursday and has also held talks with South African officials and Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos, a Mugabe ally. She was due to meet Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa on Sunday.
Meanwhile Angola on Friday authorised a Chinese ship loaded with arms destined for Zimbabwe to dock in Luanda but said it would not be allowed to unload the weapons following an international outcry.
Port officials said on Saturday the ship had not yet arrived in Luanda.
The United States earlier urged China to turn back the shipment of assault rifle ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds amid fears that the arms could be used by Zimbabwean security forces against the opposition.
Britain has called for an international arms embargo on Zimbabwe.
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