By Ernest Molua
Official results of Zimbabwe's presidential elections have just been released. The results released on Sunday, June 29, 2008, confirmed Robert Mugabe overwhelmingly won a new term as Zimbabwe president. Mr Mugabe won a total of 2,150,269 votes (about 85%) against 233,000 for opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who boycotted the election but whose name still appeared on ballot papers, and who even called on his supporters to vote at the last minute. The results mean Mugabe has, as expected, secured a sixth term as head of state in a country he wrestled for and gained independence from Britain in 1980.
According to chief elections officer Lovemore Sekeramyi, turnout was 42.37 percent, and 131,481 ballot papers were rejected.
The inauguration ceremony is set this evening at the presidential mansion. This will allow Mr Mugabe to fly out tonight to Egypt to attend the African Union summit.
Mr Tsvangirai rejected an invitation to attend the inauguration, his party and a government source report. Mr Tsvangirai is reported to have won the first round of the election on March 29 with 47.9% of the vote against 43.2% for Mugabe. This automatically led to a run-off.
Tsvangirai remained on the ballot despite announcing he was pulling out a week ago, with electoral commission officials saying it was too late to withdraw.
Unlike in the United States, where the presidential elections in 2000 and 2004 were characterised by irregularities and quarrels over pregnant and hanging chads, voters in Zimbabwe were required to dip a finger into indelible ink at polling booths to curtail fraud and malpractice.
© The Entrepreneur Newspaper 2008. All Rights Reserved
Comments