The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has won a landslide victory in Thursday's parliamentary election, while the opposition rejected the outcome, saying the poll was rigged. (Photo: Xinhua)

    HARARE, April 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has won a landslide victory in Thursday's parliamentary election, while the opposition rejected the outcome, saying the poll was rigged.

    According to final results released by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on Saturday evening, ZANU-PF won 78 seats in the election, which gives the southern African country's long-ruling party a landslide majority in parliament.

    The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), ZANU-PF's main rival, garnered 41 seats, while Jonathan Moyo, President Robert Mugabe's former spin-doctor, also managed one seat as independent.

    The seats won by ZANU-PF, come mainly from rural areas, while the MDC showed its strength in urban and peri-urban areas.

    However, the opposition MDC announced Saturday that it won't accept the outcome of the election.

    OPPOSITION'S REJECTION AND POSSIBLE PROTESTS

    William Bango, spokesman for MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, toldreporters Saturday that the party's national executive had agreed not to accept the outcome of the poll.

    "Following a meeting convened by the national executive yesterday (Friday), MDC has rejected the election results," he said.

    Bango, without specifying, said the MDC would take political measures to redress its grievance, hinting at calling for street protests by the party's supporters.

    "We are going to take a political alternative (route)," he said,declining to say exactly what the party planned.

    In previous cases, the MDC has taken electoral disputes to court, but has ruled out such moves this time.

    Tsvangirai labeled on Friday the just ended sixth parliamentarypoll as unfair.

    He said private assessments by the party revealed that the election was not run fairly.

    "Zimbabweans should stand firm and defend their vote truly and effectively from the fraudster, ZANU-PF," he said.

    He however said since his party believed in taking power under democracy, it had no choice but to take action after the final results were announced.

    Tsvangirai hinted that his party would not look for a legal remedy.

    "We are not going to take the legal route. Previously such actions failed. We believe that the people of Zimbabwe must defendtheir vote," Tsvangirai said without shedding light on how that would be done.

    In the 2000 parliamentary election, and the presidential poll two years later, the MDC unsuccessfully contested the results in court.

    RULING PARTY'S DENIAL AND OBSERVERS' ENDORSEMENT

    ZANU-PF, which won the poll by a landslide, has denied the MDC's claims, and is supported by some of the foreign election observers.

    "What Tsvangirai said is the usual mantra from the opposition party. This is the height of dishonesty. The election was free andfair," ZANU-PF election spokesman Webster Shamu said.

    The Southern African Development Community (SADC), one of several foreign observer missions, said the election was conductedfreely and fairly, both before and during voting.

    "We regard to the polling process, it is SADC's overall view that the elections were conducted in an open, transparent and professional manner," it said in a statement.

    "The polling stations opened and closed at the appointed times and we were impressed by the orderliness and patience of voters, who we believe, were able to express their franchise peacefully, freely and unhindered," SADC observers added.

    South Africa on Saturday also endorsed the s.

    "It is the view of the mission that the 2005 parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe reflect the free will of the people of Zimbabwe," said South African Labor Minister Membathisi Mdladlana,who led a observer mission for the s.

    Mdladlana told a press conference that the s on Thursday "by and large" conformed to election guidelines adopted by SADC leaders last year for holding a democratic vote.

    Mdladlana declined to comment on the opposition claims of fraud,simply saying "people can take the legal route" if they want to challenge the results.

    VOICE OF UNITED STATES, BRITAIN

    The United States said Friday the entire Zimbabwe election process had been "seriously tainted" and that it would be difficult to regard the election as free or fair.

    "Given everything that's gone on during (the) whole election process, including some of the reports we're getting now, it wouldbe very hard to say that these are free and fair," said US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

    Citing official information that as many as 10 percent of voters were turned away at the polls and anecdotal reports that many of these were in districts believed to lean toward the opposition, Boucher told reporters "this is just another sign thatthis whole process has been seriously tainted."

    "The election process all along has been tilted in favor of thegovernment. And there are many aspects to this, whether it's the muzzling of the press or the intimidation of voters or the restrictions on opposition candidates," he added.

    British Foreign Minister Secretary Jack Straw on Friday joined condemnation of the s, saying Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe had cheated voters and prolonged his country's economic and political crisis.

    "Zimbabwe's 2005 parliamentary elections were fundamentally flawed and further weaken Mugabe's legitimacy," Straw said in a statement. "Mugabe has yet again denied ordinary Zimbabweans a free and fair opportunity to vote, further prolonging the political and economic crisis he has inflicted on their country."

    Other western powers including the European Union (EU), Germanyand Australia have also criticized the election, saying it was conducted in an atmosphere of fear and political intimidation.

    Zimbabwe and Britain have been locked up in a diplomatic tusslefor land since 2000 after Zimbabwe began seizing farms from white farmers, who owned the bulk of the country's arable land, to resettle landless peasants.

    The seizures were prompted by Britain's refusal to honor several promises it made, including as part of an independence package for Zimbabwe in 1980, to fund land reform and resettlementin the southern African country.

    Instead, London has turned around, and vehemently opposed Zimbabwe's land policies, and mobilized other western countries and organizations, including the Commonwealth, to pressure Harare to relent on the issue.

    Zimbabwe pulled out of the Commonwealth, in 2003 after it extended its controversial suspension of Zimbabwe, on grounds of alleged human rights violations, among other things.

    Zimbabwe denied the charges, and instead accused Britain and its close allies, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, of using the allegations to build up international opposition to the country's land policies.

    The US government, which recently extended sanctions against Zimbabwe, also issued a travel warning for its citizens traveling to the country.

    MUGABE'S OLIVE BRANCH

    Mugabe extended an olive branch Saturday to the opposition which lost Thursday's parliamentary s, saying the ruling ZANU-PF party and government was willing to engage in dialogue in and outside the legislature.

    Mugabe said at a press conference that the ruling party was willing to work with the opposition in the interest of the nation,urging all sides to accept the verdict of the people.

    "We will be fully prepared as ZANU-PF to interact with MDC in amanner that is national and that recognize that both of us have a mission to fulfill," he said. "The mission to fulfill is that of the parliament work, crafting laws and debating. We will remain ready to discuss with MDC outside parliament."

    Mugabe commended the five political parties which took part in the election for urging their supporters to avoid violence, which characterized previous polls in the country.

    He said parties and independent candidates that lost the election should accept the outcome.

    "We want this message to go to the MDC that in any fight or sport, only one emerges as a winner," Mugabe said.

    "The losing side, as it gets disappointed, must not look at it as the end of the world. Accept defeat and avoid all kinds of excuses which might compromise relations."

    ZANU-PF has been ruling since Zimbabwe attained political independence on April 18, 1980 from former colonial ruler Britain.However, in last parliamentary election held in 2000, the party just got a feeble majority with 62 seats. Its main rival, the MDC,a party launched just one year before that election, won 57 seats.

    Zimbabwe's Parliament, also called House of Assembly has 150 members: 120 elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies and 12 appointed members by president, eight governors and 10 elected chiefs. Enditem