Council for a Community of Democracies

Zimbabwe Runoff Likely Despite Opposition Claims of Victory
By Joseph Catapano
April 2, 2008

According to the New York Times the main opposition in Zimbabwe has claimed that their candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, has won the Presidential election. Tsvangirai’s party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) released results showing Tsvangirai won 50.3% to President Robert Mugabe’s 43.8%. However, Zimbabwe’s state-run newspaper, The Herald, which is seen as a mouthpiece for the government, claims that both candidates garnered less than 50% of the vote, creating a runoff election that would take place within the next three weeks.

The country’s elections have received much international attention with the prospect of Mugabe’s 28-year rule coming to an end:

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged “utmost transparency be exercised so that the people of Zimbabwe can have full confidence in the process.”

“What we want to see is that the whole of the Zimbabwean people can be guaranteed that the elections are fair and are seen to be fair, and we get the democratic outcome that the people of Zimbabwe have chosen,” said UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Thus far, conditions in the country have remained peaceful, but there are fears that prolonging the declaration of a winner could lead to violence.

“There is a vacuum, and in a vacuum all sorts of mischief fills in,” said MDC General Secretary Tendai Biti.

Roadblocks have been set up around the capital of Harare, and there has been an increase in paramilitary police on the streets of major cities.

News from Zimbabwe yesterday seemed to have Mugabe ready to cede power and negotiate a transition with Tsvangirai; however, that attitude quickly changed as members of Mugabe’s inner circle seemed to have convinced him that there is a good chance he could win the runoff election, especially if they are able to increase voter turnout from the rural areas of Zimbabwe.

References:

The New York Times: Opposition Claims it Won Majority in Zimbabwe Vote

BBC News: Zimbabwe Opposition Claim Victory