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June
A Month in Zimbabwe: An Update. Read the latest news on the situation in Zimbabwe for the month of June.
ZCTU leadership court case - Demonstration
ACTSA and TUC are calling a solidarity demonstration on 23 June at 12.30-14.00 outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London to mark the court hearing of the General Secretary and President of Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). Read more and take action now!
May
ZCTU leadership arrested
The General Secretary and President of Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) have been detained at the Harare Central Police Station in connection with the speeches made by them on May Day. They have been charged with inciting people to rise against the government and spreading falsehoods about the current political crisis in your country. Read more and take action now!
An Yue Jiang heading South from Luanda
Late in the morning of Friday 9th May the An Yue Jiang, carrying arms intended for use in Zimbabwe, was off the coast of Namibia, in international waters, heading South. It is predicted if the vessel continues at its current speed and course it will arrive off the coast of Cape Town on Monday 12th May.
The trade union movement across southern Africa has blocked the delivery of the arms for Zimbabwe, and make it impossible for them to be removed from the ship on land or sea
Zimbabwe's opposition still rejects run-off
Zimbabwe's opposition said on Thursday that it is still not planning to participate in a presidential run-off against President Robert Mugabe. "Our official position still remains the same that we are not participating," MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti told reporters. But he added that the MDC would hold important talks with civic society groups from Zimbabwe and will hold a news conference "to put this issue to rest".
Mbeki to visit Zimbabwe to meet leaders
South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has mediated in Zimbabwe, will travel to Harare to meet political leaders, the Foreign Ministry said, as an election stalemate raised fears of widespread violence. "During his visit President Mbeki is expected to interact with the Zimbabwean political leadership," Ronnie Mamoepa, a spokesman for South Africa's department of foreign affairs, said.
Zimbabwe deadlock hurts efforts on economy
Zimbabwe's election stalemate is harming prospects for rescuing the battered economy and political opponents need to work together to reach a solution, the central bank governor said. Gideon Gono said divisions in parliament could make it hard to pass laws. "My ability to deal with inflation and the normalisation of the economy might also be seriously compromised," Gono said in an opinion piece in the Financial Gazette.
Zimbabwe ruling party to fight 52 MDC seats in court
Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF will launch a legal challenge to 52 parliamentary seats won by the opposition MDC, a party official said. ZANU-PF chief election agent Emmerson Mnangagwa said ruling party candidates had filed petitions in court related to 52 constituencies. The MDC won 99 seats in the March 29 elections, compared to the ruling party's 97 and 10 won by a breakaway MDC faction.
Zimbabwe opposition wins poll but faces run-off
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change has won a March 29 presidential election but faces a second-round vote after its leader failed to garner enough votes against President Robert Mugabe, an electoral body said. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Chief Elections Officer Lovemore Sekeramayi said MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai had 47.9 percent of the vote, beating President Robert Mugabe with 43.2 percent
Zimbabwe opposition says poll result scandalous
"This whole thing is a scandal, scandalous daylight robbery and everyone knows that. We won this election outright, and yet what we are being given here as the outcome are some fudged figures meant to save Mugabe and ZANU-PF," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa. The MDC must now decide at the weekend if it will contest a run-off presidential vote, party Secretary General Tendai Biti said. The party has won the country's March 29 presidential vote but Zimbabwe's electoral commission said it faced a second round because opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai failed to score an absolute majority.
Mugabe to contest run-off vote
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe accepted that he had lost the country's presidential elections and will contest a run-off vote. "The presidential result 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," chief election agent Emmerson Mnangagwa told reporters.
EU Commission wants Zimbabwe run-off monitoring
The European Commission called on Friday for Zimbabwe to allow international monitors to ensure a free and fair presidential run-off after the electoral body there said no clear winner emerged from the first round. "We call for an international observation presence right from the start of the proceedings," the EU executive body said in a statement, insisting that the second round must be "free and fair and run in the correct way".
Zimbabwe begins checks of presidential vote results
Officials have begun verifying the results of Zimbabwe's March 29 presidential poll, a representative of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said. The process began one day after senior government sources said that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had beaten President Robert Mugabe in the election but not by enough of a margin to avoid a run-off ballot.
30 April
Zimbabwe's MDC says 20 members died in poll unrest
Zimbabwe's opposition MDC has said that 20 of its members had been killed by pro-government militias in post-election violence. MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the violence had reached alarming levels and that soldiers had taken part in attacks on party members.
29 April
Further delays in Presidential verfication
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has invited presidential candidates to verify the long-delayed results of the vote from Thursday (1 May), state radio reported. "The commission says the exercise will commence on the 1st of May 2008, at 2 pm. All candidates who participated in the 2008 presidential election or their chief election agents are urged to attend as this exercise will pave way for the announcement of the result of the presidential election," state radio said in a notice from the commission.
200 opposition supporters released in Zimbabwe
About 200 opposition supporters arrested in Zimbabwe in a post-election government crackdown have been released, their lawyer said. "They have just been released. We obtained a High Court order for their release yesterday and the police had no basis to hold them for this long. I am angry because they need not have been arrested at all," Alec Muchadehama, lawyer for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
26 Apr
Zimbabwe presidential candidates to verify vote
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said it would invite candidates to verify the results of the March 29 presidential elections from Monday, before the results are publicly issued. "We trust that by Monday (28 April) this process (of compiling recount statistics) will have been concluded," ZEC Chairman George Chiweshe told a news conference. "Immediately thereafter (we) will invite the ... presidential candidates or their agents to a verification and collation exercise, leading to the announcement of the results of the presidential election," he said. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change says its leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat veteran President Robert Mugabe outright in the poll. The MDC accuses Mugabe of delaying results to rig victory and has rejected the possibility of a run-off.
Mugabe's ZANU-PF fails to win majority in recount
President Robert Mugabe's party has failed to win back control of Zimbabwe's parliament in a partial vote recount, results showed. For the first time in 28 years, the opposition had wrested a parliamentary majority from President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF in March 29 polls, triggering a recount of 23 out of 210 constituencies. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said 14 out of the 23 seats had been recounted so far, and the original result was confirmed in all of them. Even if ZANU-PF won all the seats left in the recount, it would fall short of a majority because it had already won three of the remaining nine seats being recounted.
25 April
Zimbabwe police in election raids
Riot police in Zimbabwe have carried out raids on headquarters of independent poll monitors and the opposition MDC in the capital, Harare. Witnesses say vote-counting material was taken from the MDC office and activists hiding there were arrested. Zimbabwe's opposition says the government is "waging war" on its supporters in rural areas, while the churches warn of a possible genocide if violence continues ahead of a possible run-off election.
24 April
Too early for Zimbabwe arms embargo, says Zuma
South Africa's ruling party leader Jacob Zuma has said it is not yet time to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe. Zuma, who has become the most outspoken African leader on Zimbabwe, was in London holding talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "I don't think we have reached the stage for arms embargo, I think it is going too far and I think it complicates a situation that needs to be handled with great care," Zuma said told a press briefing. The European Union already has an arms embargo against Zimbabwe, part of sanctions in place since 2002. The embargo bars the 27 EU states from supplying arms or equipment intended for military operations. Washington has also imposed sanctions on Harare.
22 April
Tsvangirai promises "honourable exit" for Mugabe
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai called on all African leaders to acknowledge he won last month's disputed election, and promised an "honourable exit" for President Robert Mugabe. "Robert Mugabe is a liberation hero on our continent and he must be convinced to make a graceful exit ... We believe the time has come for him to have an honourable exit," Tsvangirai told a news conference in Accra, Ghana.
21 April
No arms to Zimbabwe, says ACTSA
A massive shipment of arms aboard the Chinese ship, the ŒAn Yue Jiang, has been met by a united African front to prevent the arms reaching Zimbabwe, which were reportedly ordered three days after the elections.
ACTSA today launched a campaign calling on the Chinese government to stop the shipment of arms to Zimbabwe and adhere to the South African court ruling which will prevent any transfer of arms through its territory. Click here to support the campaign. ACTSA is also supporting a petition by the International Action Network on Small Arms to call on southern African governments to stop the consignment and to impound the arms in order that they do not find another way into Zimbabwe. Click here to sign the petition.
19 April
U.N. chief to discuss Zimbabwe with African leaders
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he would discuss the post-election deadlock in Zimbabwe with African leaders during a U.N. trade and development conference in Ghana. "In the next few days I will be discussing with President (John) Kufuor (of Ghana) and other African leaders who will be in Accra ... the issue about Zimbabwe and how to get developments there back to normal," Ban told reporters on arrival in Ghana.
Zimbabwe begins partial recount of vote
Zimbabwe began a partial recount of votes from the March 29 elections, despite opposition protests and widespread fears political stalemate could erupt in violence. The recount in 23 of 210 constituencies, which is expected to last three days, could overturn the results of the parliamentary election, which showed President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF losing its majority to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change for the first time. 17 April
Zimbabwe in focus as international pressure mounts
The heads of the United Nations and African Union raised the crisis in Zimbabwe at a summit of Security Council and African leaders, thwarting efforts by South Africa's government to block it. South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chaired the meeting at U.N. headquarters as rotating Security Council president, insists there is no crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe, and wanted to keep the post-election deadlock off the agenda.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the summit, "No one thinks, having seen the results of polling stations, that President Mugabe has won. Let a single clear message go out from here in New York that we ... stand solidly behind democracy and human rights for Zimbabwe,". .N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the gathering he was deeply concerned by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's failure to publish the results of the poll. "Absent a transparent solution to this impasse, the situation could deteriorate further with serious implications for the people of Zimbabwe," he said.
The Security Council is not expected to take any action on Zimbabwe because of resistance from South Africa and other council members. But any discussion of the issue at the meeting helps to boost the pressure on Mugabe, Western diplomats say.
Human rights abuses scaling up
The MDC and human rights groups say independence war veterans and other pro-Mugabe militia have organised systematic violence to try to ensure victory in a probable runoff. An NGO called Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights said that it had treated 173 victims of organised violence and torture between March 29 and April 14. It did not say who the victims or perpetrators were.
(Source Reuters)
16 April
Zimbabwe says inflation soars to 164,900%
Inflation in Zimbabwe, already the world's highest, soared to 164,900 percent in February, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said. "The year-on-year inflation rate (annual percentage change) for the month of February 2008 ... stood at 164,900.3 percent, gaining 64,320.1 percentage points on the January rate of 100,580.2 percent," the CSO said. "The month-on-month inflation rate (monthly percentage change) in February 2008 was 125.9 percent gaining 5.1 percentage points on the January 2008 rate of 120.8 percent."
The news comes amidst a disagreement in the South African government about the severity of the cricis in Zimbabwe. In his strongest comments yet on the post-election deadlock in the neighbouring country, Jacob Zuma said, "we once again register our apprehension about the situation in Zimbabwe. The delay in the verification process and the release of results increases anxiety each day".
15 April
Zimbabwe court postpones hearing on vote recount
A Zimbabwe court further postponed a hearing on the opposition MDC's application to block a recount of all votes cast in 23 constituencies during the country's disputed elections 17 days ago. Judge Antonia Guvava deferred the application saying she will then rule on whether the Movement for Democratic Change's legal team will be permitted to file supplementary evidence or whether the case should be dismissed.
S.Africa's ANC says Zimbabwe situation "dire"
South Africa's ruling ANC, in an implicit criticism of President Thabo Mbeki, has said that the situation in Zimbabwe was "dire" and was having a negative impact on all of southern Africa. Mbeki, who has long pursued "quiet diplomacy" in Zimbabwe, said before a summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the weekend that there was no post-election crisis in the neighbouring country. But a statement by the ANC's national working committee said it "regards the situation in Zimbabwe as dire, with negative consequences for the SADC region". It said Mbeki, toppled as head of the ANC last December, must remain neutral as a SADC mediator.
14 April
Opposition member killed in Zimbabwe poll violence
A member of Zimbabwe's opposition MDC has been stabbed to death by supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF, the party said. "We are sad to inform you that we have lost one of our members...who passed away on Saturday after being stabbed by ZANU-PF supporters at his homestead," MDC Vice President Thokozani Khupe told reporters.
A police spokesman confirmed the death but said it did not initially appear to be politically motivated.
13 April
Extra-ordinary SADC summit concludes after disagreements
Southern African leaders called for delayed results from Zimbabwe's election to be released "expeditiously" after a summit to discuss fears of violence because of a post-poll stalemate. After 13 hours of talks at an emergency summit in Lusaka, that ended around 5.00 a.m. (0300 GMT), the summit called on both President Robert Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change to accept the outcome of parliamentary and presidential elections.
The conclusion of the summit was delayed by disagreement over the use of the word "crisis" in a final communique, a senior Zambian official said. "The delay to conclude the meeting has been caused by a disagreement on how the final communique should be phrased. Some leaders feel that including the word crisis will be inappropriate while others say the extraordinary conference in itself shows there is a crisis in Zimbabwe," said the official, who asked not to be named. Before the summit started, South African President Thabo Mbeki said there was no crisis over the elections in Zimbabwe.
MDC calls general strike
Zimbabwe's opposition called a general strike for next Tuesday (15 April) to demand the release of delayed presidential election results. No results have yet emerged from the March 29 election, which the Movement for Democratic Change says was won by its leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is yet to comment whether they will support the call to action.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean police on accused the MDC of "spoiling for a fight" and said it was deploying hundreds of youth members across the country. Senior assistant commissioner Faustino Mazango told a news conference police had banned a Movement for Democratic Change rally planned for Sunday
Zimbabwe police bans all rallies
Zimbabwe's police have banned all political rallies, saying they did not have the manpower to deploy at gatherings, state radio reported. The radio report quoted police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena as saying most police officers were still guarding ballot boxes from the country's March 29 election, while some had been deployed in towns to quell any anticipated violence.
Doubts over Mugabe’s attendance of Saturday’s emergency summit
The Zimbabwean government today raised doubts as to whether Mugabe would be attending Saturday’s emergency summit in Lusaka. Going back on their previous acceptance, Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said that "we didn't call for that summit, it was called by SADC ... We are working on the request. Who invites who is not our prerogative, but this summit was done without prior consultation with the government of Zimbabwe."
An MDC spokesman said today that Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai would be a full participant in tomorrow's summit, reiterating that the opposition leader’s election win made him a “head of state”.
Tsvangirai’s lawyer held by police
Innocent Chagonda, Morgan Tsvangirai’s lawyer, was yesterday arrested by police on charges relating to a helicopter hired for the MDC. The aircraft, which was supposed to have flown Tsvangirai around the country on his election campaign, was impounded two weeks ago. Chagonda was arrested for ‘interfering with police work’ upon demanding the release of the helicopter. The MDC said the arrest yesterday was part of a wider campaign to clamp down on the Opposition in the wake of the elections.
10th April
SADC call emergency summit as Zuma speaks out
The regional body SADC, concerned at the increasing possibility of violence because of the election deadlock, has called an emergency summit in Lusaka on Saturday. A Zimbabwe government minister on Thursday confirmed Mugabe would attend Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai also hopes to attend the meeting.
SADC has been criticized in the past for failing to pressure Mugabe. Mwanawasa's summit call came after Jacob Zuma, powerful leader of South Africa's ruling African National Congress, said the poll results must be released, signaling a more robust reaction to the crisis than President Thabo Mbeki who has insisted on "quiet diplomacy" rather than overt pressure. (source Reuters)
Take action: Call on SADC and AU to ensure a fair outcome to Zimbabwe Elections
9th April
ZEC accepts 5 recounts and a run-off
ZEC has accepted a ZANU-PF request for a recount of votes in five parliamentary constituencies, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa stated. Chinamasa, who lost his parliamentary seat, said the commission had rejected seven appeals and that nine were pending. In the same statement he indicated that the presidential vote results showed a runoff was needed. "The total outcome is that none of the candidates has been able to secure polling required by our law in order to avoid a run-off as required by law," Patrick Chinamasa told reporters.
Zimbabwe court to rule next week on election appeal
Zimbabwe's High Court will rule next Monday on the opposition application to force out the result of the country's presidential election. "Conscious of the urgency of the matter, I am of the view that if I exert myself to study the submissions, I should be ready with a judgement on Monday," judge Tendai Uchena said.
High Court latest: further delays and ZEC on the offensive
Amid further delays to the official release of the Presidential vote and the High Court ruling, ZEC have taken an offensive line against any ruling that would forec their hand. George Chikumbirike, the lawyer for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in the current case with MDC, declined to tell judge Tendai Uchena how far the body had gone in preparing to announce the result, saying this was privileged information which the ZEC would release when it was ready. "It would be dangerous in my view to give an order because it might not be complied with ... because of outside exigencies which the party (ZEC) will be unable to control," Chikumbirike said without elaborating.
source Reuters
8th April
More farm evictions amid election chaos
More than 60 Zimbabwean farmers have been evicted from their land by war veterans loyal to President Robert Mugabe since the weekend, according to the Commercial Farmers' Union President Trevor Gifford. "The situation is very severe. The evictions are continuing right round the country. We have over 60 farmers evicted as of this morning. Every couple of minutes my phone is ringing with another case of eviction," Gifford told Reuters.
Zimbabwe court rules in favour of MDC
Zimbabwe's High Court ruled that the opposition MDC application for the release of presidential election results was urgent and may proceed. "I find that the application is urgent. The case should now proceed," judge Tendai Uchena said. The judge then began to hear arguments from lawyers for the Movement for Democratic Change and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which is opposing the application.
7th April
Seven arrested for undercounting Mugabe vote
Zimbabwean police said on Monday they had arrested seven election officials for undercounting votes cast for President Robert Mugabe in the March 29 presidential poll. "There are seven people who have been arrested in connection with irregularities in the presidential poll," police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said. "We're still investigating, but we have established that there was deflation of figures in respect of one candidate ... the ZANU-PF presidential candidate (Mugabe)," Bvudzijena said.
Statement by UN Secretary-General on Zimbabwe
Nine days ago, the people of Zimbabwe voted in a responsible and peaceful manner. The Secretary-General is concerned that presidential results have yet to be released in spite of the constitutional deadline. He urges the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to discharge its responsibility and release the results expeditiously and with transparency. He calls upon all actors to act responsibly, exercise restraint and calm, and to address all issues regarding the elections through recourse to legal means and dialogue as necessary for the good of all Zimbabweans.
High court delays decision over release of Presidental results
The Zimbabwe High Court has delayed its ruling on whether it has the authority to order the release of delayed presidential election results. No results have emerged from the presidential vote nine days ago and Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF wants the electoral commission to delay announcing the outcome pending a recount. The MDC is asking the High Court to force the release of the results. On Sunday, after a hearing lasting almost four hours, High Court judge Tendai Uchena adjourned to consider an electoral commission argument that he did not have jurisdiction.
6th April
MDC claim vote recount would be illegal
MDC has claimed that demands by Zanu PF for a recount of presidential election results were illegal. "The (Electoral) Act says that you ask for a recount within 48 hours of the counting. Counting takes place at polling stations so it's within 48 hours of that," said Tendai Biti, secretary general of MDC (Tsvangirai). "Legally they have no right to ask for a recount, they have absolutely no footing to ask for a recount so what they are trying to do is illegal.”
5th April
Official Senate results finally released
The final official senate, the upper house of parliament, election results have been announced by Zimbabwe's electoral commission. Ruling ZANU-PF claimed 30 seats with MDC (Tsvangirai) taking 24 and MDC (Mutambara) faction finishing with 6 seats. Control of the senate depends on who becomes Zimbabwe's president. He and tribal chiefs will appoint the remaining 33 seats.
4th April
Statement from Zimbabwean Civil Society Organisations on the Delay in Election Results and the National Political Environment
Zimbabwean civil society expresses its gravest concern at the unacceptable delay in the release of poll results for local government, House of Assembly, Senate and Presidential elections. We find the reasons given by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for this delay to be inadequate as all of the results were displayed outside all polling stations at the close of counting and verification on 29 March 2008 and were therefore in the public domain. We therefore call upon ZEC to release these results urgently to restore some measure of public confidence in the electoral process.
We also call upon the establishment to desist from unlawfully arresting or threatening with arrest, foreign or local journalists, opposition political party leaders/activists and civil society leaders/activists at such a sensitive national political moment in Zimbabwe. We have been informed that as of last night (3 April 2008) armed Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) personnel had raided local hotels and arrested and detained at least 3 journalists and a number of people celebrating House of Assembly victories in some parts of the country for reasons best known to themselves. Such actions, on the part of the ZRP and those in charge of them can only but add to the serious suspicions by the electorate that their vote is not being respected.
We also have it on good and reliable record that the Zanu Pf party has already embarked on a retributive and violent campaign before the final results for the Senate and Presidential elections have been announced. It is our view that such actions show lack of respect for the will of the people.
Further to this, and in the event that there is no clear winner in the Presidential election result, a circumstance that will necessitate an electoral run off in terms of Section 110 of the Electoral Act, we urge the ZEC to ensure that said run-off is undertaken within 21 days as is outlined by the Electoral Act. This is said because, we have it on reliable knowledge that the government has the undemocratic intention of extending the period for the holding of a run-off Presidential election from 21 to 90 days using disputed and autocractic Presidential powers on the pretext that the ZEC is ill-prepared to hold it in the stipulated period. We hold that this is unacceptable given the anxiety that is gripping the nation and given that in essence, such a move is patently undemocratic and has all the vestiges of creating a serious constitutional and political crisis of tremendous proportions. We therefore insist and call upon ZEC to follow the Electoral Act and ensure that the processes of a run-off, should there be one, are democratic and instil confidence in the electorate that the ballot will not be subject to arbitrary and undemocratic procedures.
EU urges Zimbabwe to release election results
The European Union urged Zimbabwean authorities to release as soon as possible the delayed results of the country's presidential election. "The election commission has to produce the results as quickly as possible. This is the sixth day since the election. What are they waiting for?" said Cristina Gallach, a spokeswoman for Head of European Union foreign policy, Javier Solana.
MDC to ask court to release Presidential results
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which says it won the presidential vote, has said it would ask the country's High Court to order the immediate release of the results of the election, over which Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe faces the biggest crisis of his 28-year rule.
3rd April
ZEC Announces Final House of Assembly results
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission announced the last batch of House of Assembly results today. Out of the 206 seats contested, the MDC (Tsvangirai) won 99 seats, ZANU PF 97 seats including 1 unopposed, MDC (Mutambara) 10 and Independent 1. There are 4 seats that were not contested, 1 seat was won unopposed while the other three were deferred to by-elections after the passing away of three contesting candidates.
International journalists arrested
Zimbabwean police have arrested a New York Times correspondent who was covering the country's election, the newspaper claims. "Barry Bearak, a Times correspondent based in Johannesburg, was taken into custody today by police in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he was covering the elections. We do not know where he is being held, or what, if any, charges have been made against him," the newspaper's executive editor, Bill Keller, said in a statement.
2nd April
Mugabe's Zanu-PF loses its majority
President Robert Mugabe's party has lost its majority in parliament, the Zimbabwe Election Commission says. It says Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has taken 94 of the 207 contested seats, while opposition parties have won 105. One seat has gone to the independent Jonathan Moyo. Although seven seats have yet to be declared, this means Zanu-PF cannot win an overall majority.
MDC announce an outright victory
The Movement for Democratic Change have announced at 13.00 GMT according to their statitics statesman Morgan Tsvangirai has won the Presidential election vote by an outright majority of 50.3%. ZEC are still yet to release their official report.
More to follow...
ACTSA statement on elections - 2nd April
As the parliamentary results continue to come in little by little, ACTSA wishes to inform and update its supporters on the current situation in Zimbabwe
At 12.00 GMT on 2 April, ZANU PF has gained 93 Parliamentary seats while MDC has 91 seats and the breakaway MDC group has only 5 seats. There are still no official indications of the Presidential result. There is increasing media speculation that a Presidential run-off election will take place between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe as neither candidate would have officially received a majority of 50.1%. Should this occur the run-off vote would take place in the next 3 weeks.
ACTSA, its partners and civil society in general raised numerous concerns about the electoral process, prior to the holding of polls. Concerns were made regarding ghost votes, biased media coverage, allegiance statements by the service chiefs, the time given to observer missions and that only “friendly" countries observer missions were allowed to observe and the management of the process in general.
ACTSA wishes to draw attention to the initial reports from Marwick Khumalo, head of the Pan-African parliament's observer mission, who said that in one Harare constituency, "It has been brought to our attention that out of the 24,678 registered voters more than 8,450 have been registered under block 081083...which is a deserted land with a few scattered wooden sheds." He added, "Taking into account that there have been a lot of complaints from opposition political parties regarding the fact that ZEC has printed approximately 50 percent more ballot papers than the number of registered voters, the mission would like to request that ZEC clarifies these claims at the earliest of its convenience … and the post-election phase, including the announcement of results remains a concern and needs to be monitored."
The head of mission of the SADC Observer Team, Mr Jose Marcos Barrica, "The voters roll should have been published earlier," saying that it had been an "irregularity". He also added that "There were some concerns in inequality of media time given to different candidates by the state mass media. We say that the situation should be changed."
ACTSA acknowledges that the elections were held in an environment largely free of violence but contends that it does not necessarily follow that the will of the people will prevail. The statement made by the SADC Observer Team that elections have been “free and fair" was made prematurely and reiterates that the election process can only be concluded when the results have been communicated to and accepted by the electorate. ACTSA also note the report that two representatives on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer mission, said they had refused to sign the preliminary report noting that the oppressive environment was not conducive to free and fair elections.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has failed to give a satisfactory explanation for the unacceptable delay of disclosing all the electoral results. ACTSA urges ZEC to immediately publish the remaining results of the parliamentary elections and the Presidential results.
Please continue to refer to the website for updates as the results are released and new information is made available.
ZCTU latest
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions leaders Lucia Matibenga and Tabitha Khumalo have been elected into Parliamentary seats for MDC in their constituencies in Harare and Bulawayo.
Africa News Features report - 1st April
Tension is growing here as the official Electoral Commission (ZEC) continues to trickle out election results, claiming a “neck and neck" race for parliamentary seats between the main Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction and the ruling Zanu-PF. The reason for the increasing disquiet is the fact that several unofficial tallies from usually reliable non-governmental sources have show a clear victory to the MDC.
The Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN), which claimed to have placed 8 000 observers to cover 80 per cent of the polling stations, maintained that the MDC could have won as many as 117 of the 210 contested seats. The MDC faction, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, maintains that its monitors at all the polling stations have now reported back with the tallies and that the party has won 110 seats to 94 for Zanu-PF and six to the MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara.
Because all vote counts were conducted at the polling stations in the presence of officials from the competing parties and were posted outside the stations on public display, there is concern about the way in which the ZEC has dealt with the election announcements. “They appear to be letting out an equal number for both Zanu-PF and for the MDC, making it seem neck and neck. We wonder why they are playing for time," said a Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) monitor.
Like a number of other non-governmental organisations, the ZCTU has also established a “commend centre" to monitor the poll and has been receiving reports from union members around the country. Although they have made no comment, it is u
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