Some results released in recount of Zimbabwe election results

April 23, 2008

Some results from the recount of the Zimbabwe election have been released. Both the Movement for Democratic Change and the ruling Zanu-PF party have retained one seat. A representative Zanu-PF commented on the seat they retained. "We are happy to retain the seat and we believe the same will happen in all the constituencies where recounting is taking place," they said.

Zimbabwe election officials begun to recount 23 out of 210 constituencies' ballots after president Mugabe's Zanu-PF party accused the opposition party, the MDC, of bribing election officials. Several arrests have since been made in relation to the recount.

The ballots are from the parliamentary elections held on March 29. The opposing MDC previouly made an appeal to Harare's High Court for the recount to be stopped. However it was rejected, Justice Antonia Guvava said "I find no merit in the application... Accordingly, the application is dismissed with costs." Despite this MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is currently staying in South Africa for his own safety, claims to have won both parliamentary and presidential elections outright.