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We have results, says Minister

HARARE: President Robert Mugabe’s government has its own presidential election results showing a runoff will be necessary, a Cabinet Minister said on Thursday.

Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga’s comments came a day after Zimbabwe’s opposition rejected a runoff, despite a media report that the official tally — still awaited more than a month after the vote — showed its candidate beat Mr. Mugabe, but not by enough to avoid a second round. Mr. Matonga said Mr. Mugabe’s party would take part in a runoff. “As far as I’m concerned, there is going to be a runoff,” Mr. Matonga said. “We have got our own results.”

On Wednesday, CNN television quoted an unidentified senior official with Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party as saying results from the March 29 election gave opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai 47 per cent of the vote while Mr. Mugabe trailed with 43 per cent.

Mr. Matonga would not say whether the CNN report was correct or give details about the figures he said the government had. But he said no one won the 50 per cent plus one vote needed to avoid a runoff.

Independent observers have been saying that Mr. Tsvangirai won the most votes, but not enough to avoid a runoff. Mr. Tsvangirai insists he won outright.

Individual polling stations have posted results, allowing parties and others to compile their own tallies while the nation awaits official results from the Electoral Commission. Mr. Tsvangirai and rights groups have accused Mr. Mugabe of withholding the results to buy time to steal a runoff through intimidation or fraud.

Electoral commission officials said late on Wednesday that no official results had been released and that party officials would not see them until a verification process began. The verification process, at which party officials were to review figures, began on Thursday afternoon. — AP

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