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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Verification of Long Delayed Zimbabwe Presidential Results Begins |
| 2008-05-02 |
| Zimbabwe's electoral commission began consulting presidential candidates to check if their voting figures tally with those held by the commission. Commission chairman George Chiweshe said disagreements would be investigated until there was agreement. Regional observers and diplomats are at the verification process and many believe it could take some time. Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change says it will present evidence intended to prove its candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote. The Election Commission has already said the MDC gained control of Zimbabwe's parliament. Tsvangirai spokesman George Sibotshiwe said Wednesday in South Africa that the MDC believes only fraudulent results would deny Mr. Tsvangirai outright victory. He said if the government cannot accept the real results now, what is the guarantee the results of a run-off would be accepted. Harare lawyer and electoral researcher Derek Matyszek says the delay in announcing the results of the presidential poll, had been choreographed between the Commission and ZANU-PF so the party could retain control of key institutions, such as the military, while it regroups. |
| Posted by:Fred |