Tsvangirai refuses to declare victory

Tsvangirai refuses to declare victory

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ZIMBABWEAN opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai declined on Tuesday to declare himself the winner of a presidential election, saying he would wait until an announcement from the electoral commission.

"I am prepared to wait until as long as the ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) confirms the results," Tsvangirai told a news conference in his first public appearance since Saturday's presidential and parliamentary elections.

However, Tsvangirai said he and his party had been given a clear mandate for change in the poll.

"After the 29th of March, Zimbabwe will never be the same again. In those minutes inside the polling booths each one rewrote the history of Zimbabwe," he said.

"The vote we passed on Saturday was a vote for change, for a new beginning."

Tsvangirai's party has already said it is confident that he won the poll but the electoral commission, whose leadership is appointed by President Robert Mugabe, has yet to release any results from the presidential contest.

Tsvangirai insisted his party is not in discussions with President Robert Mugabe over a transfer of power.

Earlier, an unnamed businessman close to the state electoral commission and a lawyer close to the opposition were quoted by foreign media saying such talks were under way. But Tsvangirai insisted: "There are no discussions."
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