Maravi

Mugabe goes for run-off

Mugabe goes for run-off
By George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Sunday May 04, 2008 [04:00]

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has conceded defeat in the first round of the presidential elections. And ZANU-PF parliamentary candidates have filed petitions in 52 constituencies seeking the setting aside of the announced results in those areas. Addressing journalists, President Mugabe's chief election agent and ZANU-PF secretary for legal affairs, Emmerson Mnangagwa said the President had accepted the results of the March 29 elections.

"I have to advise that the ZANU-PF presidential candidate R.G Mugabe accepts the results as announced and is offering himself for election in the pending run-off whose date is yet to be announced," he said.

However, Mnangagwa expressed dissatisfaction with the announced results.

"The presidential results as announced do not reflect the genuine expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people given the many anomalies, malpractices, deflation of figures relating to ZANU-PF candidates as information was transmitted upwards, inflation of figures relating to opposition candidates as information was transmitted to higher command levels, multiple voting and people who are not on the voters' roll being allowed to vote, persons on voters' roll being turned away and not allowed to vote and irregularities in the manner that handicapped persons were assisted to vote," Mnangagwa said.

"These anomalies were exposed in the sample recounting exercise that was undertaken at ZANU-PF's request by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in 21 constituencies. The anomalies revealed a pattern in the management of the electoral process, which was biased against ZANU-PF and in favour of MDC.

In short, ZANU-PF and all its candidates especially its presidential candidate feel aggrieved and were greatly prejudiced by the attempts by the MDC and its sponsors to tamper with the electoral system."

He accused the independent election observer team, Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) of being sponsored by the British and Americans.

"There is also mounting evidence that ZESN observers abandoned their purported role as observers and instead became conduits through which monies used in bribing and compromising certain electoral officials were channelled.

The evidence is there that these funds were supplied by the British and American governments," Mnangagwa said. "The recounting in the 23 constituencies has revealed that electoral officers allowed multiple voting and voting by persons who were not on the voters' roll. There was massive voter buying of traditional leadership by the MDC. The harmonised elections unfolded against the backdrop of illegal Western imposed sanctions meant to oust ZANU-PF from power."

Mnangagwa said Zimbabweans voted in an environment subjected to Western blackmail.
"There was massive funding by the British 3,3 million pounds and the Australians US$ 18 million into the coffers of the MDC and independent candidate Simba Makoni to influence the outcome of the elections. The American government funded the opposition to the tune of US$ 6 million," he said.

And Mnangagwa said ZANU-PF parliamentary candidates had filed petitions in 52 constituencies seeking the setting aside of the announced results in those areas.
"These petitions have been filed with the Electoral Court," he said.

Mnangagwa appealed to ZEC to put in place measures that would prevent anomalies in the presidential run-off.

"In order to eliminate anomalies that were exposed during the recounting in the 23 constituencies, ZANU-PF calls upon ZEC to institute appropriate measures to achieve the elimination of the anomalies in the pending presidential run-off," he said.

Mnangagwa said ZANU-PF was committed to a total peaceful environment before, during and after the presidential run-off.

"Before I conclude, during the verification, the MDC claimed it has won the presidential ballot by 50.3 per cent, a figure they had peddled to the world through their captive Western media.

ZEC gave them two opportunities in two days to validate their claim," Mnangagwa said. "They failed dismally, often making arguments which were extremely ridiculous mathematically as it turned out their figures had no relationship at all with what was on the V11 forms, which themselves were the primary source of information of the polls."

According to official results from the ZEC, Tsvangirai received 1,195,562 votes, representing 47.9 per cent of the valid votes, while President Mugabe polled 1,079,730 votes, which is 43.2 per cent of the valid votes cast.

Independent candidate Simba Makoni won 207,470 votes, which translates to 8.3 per cent of the valid votes, while Langton Towungana, another independent candidate, polled 14,503 votes, translating into 0.6 per cent of the votes.

A total of 39,975 ballots were spoilt while the percentage poll was calculated to be 42.7 per cent.
According to ZEC chief elections officer Lovemore Sekeramayi, no candidate received the majority of the votes cast and that a second election shall be held on a date to be announced.

By law, a second round should be held within 21 days of the result.
And a senior government official, who is also one of President Mugabe's campaign strategists, disclosed to The Post on Friday that authourities were planning to hold the presidential run-off in the third week of this month.

Meanwhile, the SADC Election Observer Mission has stated that the verification and recounting process was done transparently and in line with the country's electoral laws.
During a press conference, head of the SADC team and Angolan Minister of Youth and Sports Jose Marcos Barrica, said the mission witnessed the recounting and verification process in all the 23 constituencies.

"The verification and recounting process started on the 19th of April 2008 in all 23 constituencies, having noted some delays on the opening hour of the operation in some of them," Barrica said.

"The delay was attributed to various logistical handicaps, such as late arrival of some political party agents, identifying and sorting of ballot boxes. However, this did not compromise the process."

He said procedures for opening and sealing of ballot boxes were adhered to.
Barrica said all observers, political party agents and candidates witnessed the process and noted that the ballot boxes were not tampered with.
"The seals were still intact and corresponded with the serial numbers," said Barrica.

Labels: ELECTIONS, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 5:19 AM