HARARE, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 15-member Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) on Friday declared Zimbabwe's elections free and peaceful.
The SADC, which brokered Zimbabwe's coalition government after disputed 2008 polls, said it will explain the issue of fairness in a formal report to be compiled within 30 days.
The elections were free and peaceful, but it is still early to say it is fair as the question of fairness is broad, said Bernard Membe, head of the SADC's election observer team.
"We didn't just want to come to a conclusion at this stage," he said.
Meanwhile, the African Union chief observer, Olusegun Obasanjo, has already regarded the elections as "free and credible."
The former Nigerian president reiterated Friday at a press conference that despite some shortcomings, Zimbabwe's elections were free and fair.
"There are incidencies that could have been avoided and there are incidencies that tended to breach the law but all in all up to close of polls we do not believe that these incidences will amount to the result not representing the will of the people," he said.
Zanu-PF's national spokesman Rugare Gumbo told Xinhua Friday morning that the party has so far won way over 50 percent of the 210 parliamentary seats, while there were figures yet to be published in other constituencies.
The latest announcement by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), the only authority allowed to release official elections results, indicated that Mugabe's Zimbabwe Africa National Union -- Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) has now won 77 constituencies against his rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party's 43, according to state media.
However, Tsvangirai, Mugabe's most serious political challenger since 1997, on Thursday cried foul of the election, saying it is a huge "farce" and does not reflect the will of the people.
ZEC chairperson Justice Rita Makarau told reporters that collation and verification of results was progressing well and the final results can be expected earliest by later Friday.
HARARE, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has won way over 50 percent of the parliamentary seats in Zimbabwe elections, the party spokesman said Friday. Full story
HARARE, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Even though the results of Zimbabwe's watershed elections were not announced, strong indications have emerged a day after the voting that veteran president Robert Mugabe is leading.
Early Friday, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced the results of elections of 62 parliamentary seats. Mugabe's Zimbabwe Africa National Union -- Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) -- won 52 seats, leaving only ten to his rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party. Full story
HARARE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's party has won 26 out of the 28 parliamentary seats in the July 31 general elections announced by the country's electoral commission on Thursday night.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission announced results of the elections of 28 parliamentary seats in three provinces in the first batch. Full story
HARARE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday cried foul of Wednesday's polls, saying it is a "farce" and does not reflect the will of the people.Full story
HARARE, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said Wednesday general elections were conducted free and fair and that counting of the vote has begun.Full story
HARARE, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader at 89, said Wednesday that he will serve a full five-year term if re-elected into the office.
Mugabe told reporters after casting his vote in a primary school in south Harare that he would be cheating his supporters if he retired before finishing the five-year term of presidency.Full story
HARARE, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabweans went to the polls on Wednesday to choose a winner between the southern African country' s two long-time political rivals -- President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.Full story
