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Zimbabwe Presidential elections 2013: Vote counting underway – both Mugabe and Tsvangirai sure of victory
Voting concluded Wednesday in most of Zimbabwe’s polling stations in elections in which Robert Mugabe, faced one of the biggest challenges to his hold on power.
A few polling stations were prepared to stay open into the night to accommodate all voters who were in line by 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. EDT). Vote counting began Wednesday night and final results are expected by Monday next week.
Zimbabweans voted in large numbers, and the elections were relatively peaceful compared to disputed polls in 2008.
Polling officials and party agents brought blankets to polling stations so that they could sleep next to the polling boxes to make sure they were not tampered with.
There have been worries about oversights in the hasty preparations for the vote, as well as fears of alleged vote-rigging of the kind that occurred in past elections.
Tendai Biti, the third-ranking official in the former opposition party of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe’s challenger, reported discrepancies across several districts.
But “we are encouraged by the high turnout. We remain confident in spite of all these challenges,” Biti said late Wednesday.
The head of African Union observer mission, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said reports of the discrepancies “will be investigated but have not yet been substantiated.”
Activists believe a big turnout is likely to favor Tsvangirai. Mugabe, who barred Western observer missions, says allegations of discrepancies amount to mudslinging by opponents.
Mugabe, 89, has said he would step down if he loses. Many Zimbabweans find it hard to believe that the wily politician, would relinquish control even if the vote doesn’t go his way.
After voting in Harare’s western Highfield township, Mugabe said he expected to be re-elected.
“We will have lots of things to do to get our economy back on its feet,” he said.
Tsvangirai, who has been in an uneasy coalition with Mugabe, cast his ballot in northern Harare.
“We have come to complete the change we have always fought for,” he said. “It is an emotional moment for me but I am filled with a sense of calmness.”
The coalition between the two rivals was forged by regional leaders after Zimbabwe’s last disputed election in 2008.
Zimbabwe’s government was effectively dissolved on Wednesday; Mugabe and Tsvangirai have each predicted outright victory that would avoid the formation of another coalition.
Source: Associated Press