Zimbabwe announces poll results

by Amy Judd | May 2, 2008 at 04:23 pm

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So the results have been announced in the Zimbabwe elections - but it is not over yet, if you can believe it.
The opposition's Morgan Tsvangirai won, but only with 47.9%, forcing a second round of voting.
When will it end!?

Election officials say Mr Tsvangirai beat President Robert Mugabe's 43.2%, but neither candidate passed the 50% threshold for an outright win.

A spokesman for 84-year-old Mr Mugabe says he will stand in a run-off vote.

But Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said the result was "scandalous daylight robbery".

The MDC accuses ruling party supporters of rigging the vote and of launching a campaign of intimidation and violence following the elections on 29 March.

It says the delay in announcing the results was to give pro-government militants time to organise and carry out their attacks.

Zanu-PF party says the scale of the violence has been exaggerated and accuses the MDC of staging political attacks.

Chief Elections Officer Lovemore Sekeramayi said former Finance Minister Simba Makoni came third with 8.3%.

He said a date for the second round between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai would be announced later. It should be held within three weeks.