Presidential poll 'verification' gets underway

Presidential poll 'verification' gets underway

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• SENATE ELECTION RESULTS

• HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS

By Fikile Mapala

THE body running Zimbabwe’s elections invited all four candidates in the March 29 presidential poll to witness a verification exercise of ballots which was expected to begin in Harare on Thursday.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) says the verification and collation of results of the presidential election will pave way for the announcement of the poll results, but refuses to state a date when the results will be announced.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims its candidate Morgan Tsvangirai was the outright winner in the election, but independent election monitoring groups say neither he nor President Robert Mugabe got 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off.

Two independents took part in the election – former finance minister Simba Makoni and Victoria Falls businessman, Langton Towungana.

Lovemore Sekeramayi, the chief elections officer, extended the invitation to all candidates, but it was unlikely any of them would participate, a job left for their chief election agents.

In a statement, Sekeramayi said: “It is hereby notified that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is in terms of Section 65 of the Electoral Act, is inviting all candidates who participated in the 2008 presidential election held on 29 March 2008 or their chief election agents to the verification and collation exercise for the polling station returns for the same election.”

“All candidates who participated in the 2008 presidential election or their chief election agents are urged to attend as this exercise will pave the way for the announcement of the results of the Presidential election,” he added.

Electoral commission chief elections officer Lovemore Sekeramayi, said the exercise would take place at a local hotel in the capital.

The ZEC has come under increasing international pressure to release the results of the March 29 presidential poll, having already announced results for the parliamentary and senate elections. Official results show Zanu PF has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time.

Zanu PF officials have said Mugabe is now preparing for a second round of voting, but the MDC says the 84-year-old leader intends to use his shock troops to beat people into submission.
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