2008 Woodie Awards
Zimbabwe opposition leader insists he won election
By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: World
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's main opposition leader insisted yesterday that he has won presidential elections outright and denied that his advisers were involved in talks to allow President Robert Mugabe a graceful exit.
Morgan Tsvangirai told his first news conference since Saturday's elections that he was waiting for an official announcement of election results before he would enter any discussions.
"Our country is on a precipice, on a cliff edge," he said.
A businessman close to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, or ZEC, and a lawyer close to the opposition said earlier that aides of Mugabe and Tsvangirai were discussing how Mugabe could relinquish power.
The rivals' advisers were discussing a "transitional arrangement," the lawyer said. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
"There are no discussions," Tsvangirai said. "Let's wait for ZEC to complete it's work, then we can discuss the circumstances that will affect the people."
Independent observers say trends indicate Tsvangirai won the most votes in the presidential race, but not enough to avoid a runoff - a prospect that could be humiliating to the 84-year-old president after 28 years in power.
No returns from the presidential vote have been made public, fueling fears of rigging. Mugabe has been accused of stealing past elections, though that was before Zimbabwe's economy collapsed and leading members of his own party openly defied him.
Tsvangirai claimed to have won more than the 50 percent simple majority needed to avoid a runoff. He urged the electoral commission "to proceed with haste, and I think 2 1/2 days is not haste at all."
The businessman said Mugabe has been told he is far behind Morgan Tsvangirai in preliminary results of Saturday's presidential elections and that there could be an uprising if Mugabe were declared the winner.
He said Zimbabwe's security chiefs have told the Electoral Commission to issue results portraying a close race, to prevent celebrations that could ignite violence.
The commission has released results for 142 of the 210 parliamentary seats - giving Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change 72 seats, including five for a breakaway faction, and 70 for Mugabe's party.
Martin Rupiya, a military analyst at South Africa's Institute for Strategic Studies and a former lieutenant-colonel in the Zimbabwe army, said he had heard of the military's involvement in negotiations for Mugabe to step down.
Morgan Tsvangirai told his first news conference since Saturday's elections that he was waiting for an official announcement of election results before he would enter any discussions.
"Our country is on a precipice, on a cliff edge," he said.
A businessman close to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, or ZEC, and a lawyer close to the opposition said earlier that aides of Mugabe and Tsvangirai were discussing how Mugabe could relinquish power.
The rivals' advisers were discussing a "transitional arrangement," the lawyer said. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
"There are no discussions," Tsvangirai said. "Let's wait for ZEC to complete it's work, then we can discuss the circumstances that will affect the people."
Independent observers say trends indicate Tsvangirai won the most votes in the presidential race, but not enough to avoid a runoff - a prospect that could be humiliating to the 84-year-old president after 28 years in power.
No returns from the presidential vote have been made public, fueling fears of rigging. Mugabe has been accused of stealing past elections, though that was before Zimbabwe's economy collapsed and leading members of his own party openly defied him.
Tsvangirai claimed to have won more than the 50 percent simple majority needed to avoid a runoff. He urged the electoral commission "to proceed with haste, and I think 2 1/2 days is not haste at all."
The businessman said Mugabe has been told he is far behind Morgan Tsvangirai in preliminary results of Saturday's presidential elections and that there could be an uprising if Mugabe were declared the winner.
He said Zimbabwe's security chiefs have told the Electoral Commission to issue results portraying a close race, to prevent celebrations that could ignite violence.
The commission has released results for 142 of the 210 parliamentary seats - giving Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change 72 seats, including five for a breakaway faction, and 70 for Mugabe's party.
Martin Rupiya, a military analyst at South Africa's Institute for Strategic Studies and a former lieutenant-colonel in the Zimbabwe army, said he had heard of the military's involvement in negotiations for Mugabe to step down.
Be the first to comment on this story