Mugabe wins Zimbabwe presidential polls

 


Author:     AGENCIES [ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002 3:05:34 PM ]

  HARARE: Robert Mugabe has won Zimbabwe's presidential election, 
Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede announced on Wednesday.

  Mudede said on state television that Mugabe was re-elected with 
1,685,212 votes against 1,258,758 votes for opposition 
challenger Morgan Tsvangirai. "I ... therefore declare Robert 
Mugabe the winner for the office of the presidency of Zimbabwe," 
Mudede said.

  Mugabe passed the 50 per cent mark with only six districts left 
to be declared, official figures showed on Wednesday.

  Results broadcast on state television gave Mugabe 1,634,382 
votes, or 52 per cent of the 3.1 million ballots cast.

  His main rival Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic 
Change (MDC) had 1,185,890 votes, or 38 per cent of the votes 
cast.

  Tsvangirai, along with local and international observers, have 
cited widespread abuses in the electoral process.

  The MDC leadership was to meet mid-morning to discuss the 
results.

  "We have a national executive meeting ... where we will be 
looking at the figures and give the reaction of the party," said 
David Coltart, MP for the Movement for Democratic Change (Mdc).

  "To put it mildly the figures are very odd, with very low 
turnouts in the cities and massives ones in the rural areas, 
which is unprecedented in this country," he said.

  Tsvangirai was due to address the media after the meeting, 
around noon (1000 GMT).

  Meanwhile, about 100 soldiers surrounded the offices of the 
opposition Movement in Bulawayo on Wednesday, a reporter said.



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