Zimbabwe opposition leader: no talks

NF Reporter · 04-01-2008, 04:25 PM

AP - Zimbabwe's main opposition leader insisted Tuesday that he has won presidential elections outright and denied that his advisers were involved in talks to allow President Robert Mugabe a graceful exit.

Full Story...

waltky · 04-02-2008, 03:39 AM

Mugabe headed out the door?...

US Says Zimbabweans Have Voted for Change
01 April 2008 - The United States said Tuesday it is apparent that Zimbabweans have voted for change after 28 years of rule by Robert Mugabe, and it is time for the country's electoral commission to confirm that. U.S. officials say further delay only raises more questions about the integrity of the process.

Quote:

U.S. officials are giving heavy credence to informal vote tallies by non-governmental groups showing opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangerai with a lead over President Mugabe. They are calling on the Zimbabwean electoral commission to break its silence and acknowledge the result, in order to put to rest widespread suspicions of vote-rigging.

Traveling with President Bush in Europe, White House National Security Council Spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a brief statement that it is clear the people of Zimbabwe have voted for change. Johndroe said it is time for the electoral commission to, in his words, confirm the results we have all seen from the local polling stations and respected NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations).

At a press briefing here, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey noted that election authorities in Zimbabwe have already acknowledged a strong showing by the opposition in Saturday's parliamentary voting.

More VOA News - US Says Zimbabweans Have Voted for Change

See also:

Zimbabwe Election Results Delay Heightens Fears of Rigging
01 April 2008 - Independent analysts are expressing fears that the delay in announcing the result of the Zimbabwe elections is an indication that vote rigging is underway.

Quote:

Meanwhile, head of Zimbabwe's main opposition party Morgan Tsvangiari denies reports that his party is in talks with advisers to President Robert Mugabe about president giving up power. The trickle of results being released by the Zimbabwe Elections Commission in Harare, nearly four days after the polls closed, is being widely condemned. The chairman of the South African Institute of International Affairs, Moeletsi Mbeki, told VOA he suspects manipulation.

"Since the results are available, but are not being announced by the people who are supposed to announce them, the only conclusion one draws is that they are trying to massage the results to give them the outcomes that Mugabe and his party want to see," said Moeletsi Mbeki.

Mbeki is referring to the fact that when votes in the parliamentary, senate and local elections had been counted at each polling station the result was certified by local representatives of the Elections Commission and posted at the door. They were then forwarded to regional offices to be compiled and sent on to the Commission's central office in Harare. In the case of the presidential vote, the results were sent directly from each polling station to Harare. In the past these process have happened very quickly, with the outcome of the election being known the day following the poll.

More VOA News - Zimbabwe Election Results Delay Heightens Fears of Rigging

waltky · 04-02-2008, 03:54 AM

Mugabe sees the hand-writing on the wall...

Mugabe 'ready to step down'
April 02, 2008 - ZIMBABWEAN leader Robert Mugabe is ready to step down after he accepted he failed to win the country's presidential election, a senior source in his ruling party and diplomats said today.

Quote:

An official in Mr Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said the long-ruling president was prepared to step down but was still trying to win agreement from the army's chief of staff Constantine Chiwenga. "He is prepared to step down because he doesn't want to embarrass himself by going to a run-off," the source said on condition of anonymity. "There is only one person still blocking him, the army chief of staff."

A US State Department official said the ZANU-PF party and the opposition were believed to be discussing whether Mr Mugabe should resign. The official said the talks followed projections showing the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai would beat Mr Mugabe in the election but fall short of the 51 per cent voted needed to avoid a runoff.

"I know that there are supposedly at various levels ... discussions between representatives of the opposition and representatives of the government," the State Department official said. "I know there were discussions that were going on but we will see what happens and when it happens," he said.

MORE

See also:

'Run-off likely' in Zimbabwe election
April 02, 2008 - A RUN-off is likely in Zimbabwe's presidential elections with none of the candidates in last weekend's polls expected to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote, a state daily said today.

Quote:

"The pattern of results in the presidential election show that none of the candidates will garner more than 50 per cent of the votes, forcing a re-run," said The Herald newspaper, quoting analysts. President Robert Mugabe, 84, who is seeking a sixth term in office, on Saturday contested the poll with his main opposition rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, and his former finance minister, Simba Makoni.

Since then, the official results for the parliamentary elections have been trickling in to the anxiety of Zimbabweans who await the outcome of the presidential poll, held simultaneously. No presidential result has been released yet by the electoral commission.

The electoral commission had yesterday appealed for patience, assuring that it was trying to gather results from the polling centres. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has since Monday claimed victory for its presidential candidate, Mr Tsvangirai, saying that the delay in releasing the results was aimed at rigging their outcome.

'Run-off likely' in Zimbabe election | NEWS.com.au

waltky · 04-03-2008, 04:52 AM

Kinda like Bush losin' the Republican majority in Congress...

Opposition wins Zimbabwe assembly
Thursday, 3 April 2008 - Zimbabwe's opposition MDC wins control of parliament, displacing the ruling Zanu-PF, final official results show.

Quote:

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) took 99 seats, while President Robert Mugabe's party polled 97. With presidential election results yet to be declared, the MDC said its leader had won, but Zanu-PF denied this. Senior Zanu-PF figures are due to meet on Friday to decide whether to contest any presidential run-off.

Brian Hungwe in Harare says the party is split into two factions and the meeting is set to be a defining moment for the country. Five days after the polls, frustration is growing at the failure of the Zimbabwe Election Commission to declare presidential results. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the results of the presidential election now had to be announced swiftly.

'A fighter'

Zimbabwe's Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said no clear winner had emerged in the presidential poll. In the event of a run-off against MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, he said Mr Mugabe would fight on.

More BBC NEWS | Africa | Opposition wins Zimbabwe assembly

waltky · 06-18-2008, 10:58 PM

Like our civil war...

Zimbabwe: 'A Brother-Kill-Brother Situation'
June 18, 2008 : Mugabe's Zimbabwe: Citizens Tell of Mass Beatings, Torched Homes

Quote:

Horrifying tales of mass beatings, torched homes and systematic murder are trickling out of Zimbabwe in the days before the presidential election runoff, scheduled for June 27, despite the government's continuing crackdown on journalists and civil society. Silas Gweshe, a Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) parliamentary candidate in one of Zimbabwe's rural areas, told ABC News that even after he lost the election, he and his family were targeted by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. "They came in the night, put petrol to my house, and they destroyed everything," he said. "It wasn't only my house which was burnt down, but my councilor's as well."

Gweshe also said he witnessed a 78-year-old man being beaten to death. He added that he knew of an educator who was kidnapped, accused of being subversive to the state for his support of MDC, and was later found dead. Tales like Gweshe's are beginning to become more and more common throughout Zimbabwe. One researcher who works with the National Constitutional Assembly, a civil society group, has been documenting the reports of incidents of violence in the country. During an interview, a rural opposition supporter said he doesn't sleep in his home anymore for fear of being attacked. Both the researcher and the supporter asked to remain anonymous out of fear of the Mugabe regime.

"At 6 or 7 [p.m.] I go to a different district for the night and then come back in the day," the supporter said. "One time they caught me as I was about to leave for the night," he said. "They said, 'Here comes the white servant.' They attacked me and I tried to retaliate with a screwdriver. I carry a screwdriver as a weapon. There were five of them. They had sticks. I didn't recognize them. They were brought in from another district. They are always brought in from the outside."

More ABC News: Zimbabwe: 'A Brother-Kill-Brother Situation'

waltky · 09-12-2008, 05:53 AM

Zimbabwe opposition gains cabinet majority...

Zimbabwe opposition to have cabinet majority
Fri Sep 12, 2008 - Zimbabwe's two opposition factions will have one more cabinet seat than the ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe under a power-sharing deal, an opposition senator said on Friday.

Quote:

Senator David Coltart, a senior member of the smaller breakaway faction of the MDC, said in an email that Morgan Tsvangirai's main group would have 13 cabinet seats, ZANU-PF 15 seats and his group three seats. This was based on votes cast for the parties rather than seats won in a March 29 election in which ZANU-PF lost control of parliament for the first time since independence in 1980.

Coltart said Mugabe's power would be greatly reduced under the deal and Tsvangirai, in the new role of prime minister, would have substantial but not absolute power. Mugabe, who has ruled with an iron hand since independence, would remain as president and chair the cabinet while Tsvangirai would head a council of ministers.

The latter would supervise the cabinet, Coltart said. He confirmed the email to Reuters by phone. Both sides said on Thursday they had reached a power-sharing deal after two months of negotiations following a deep post-election crisis, but they said details would not be released until a ceremony on Monday.

More Zimbabwe opposition to have cabinet majority | International | Reuters