Charges of fraud in Zimbabwe vote

Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980,faced his strongest challenge in Saturday's election, withveteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and ruling ZANU-PFparty defector Simba Makoni exploiting widespread misery causedby the wrecked economy.

As polls closed, Tsvangirai's MDC party said their votersand officials had been turned away from polling stations anderasable voting ink was used to enable fraud by governmentsupporters.

Combined with inflated voter rolls and the printing of 3million surplus ballot papers, this "ensures that there will bemultiple voting," said MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti.

Observers from the Pan-African parliament said in a letterto the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that they had found morethan 8,000 non-existent people registered on a piece of emptyland in a Harare constituency.

Biti said the MDC had also found "ghost voters" in Harare.

Many Zimbabweans were desperate for change to end thecountry's economic misery.

The once-prosperous nation is suffering the world's highestinflation rate at more than 100,000 percent, chronic shortagesof food and fuel and a rampant HIV/AIDS epidemic that hascontributed to a steep decline in life expectancy.

Mugabe blames the collapse on Western sanctions.