Text Only
Search

Mugabe Swearing-In Expected After 'Big Victory' in Run-Off

28 June 2008

President Robert Mugabe addresses media after voting in Harare, 27 Jun 2008
President Robert Mugabe addresses media after voting in Harare, 27 Jun 2008
Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, 84, is expected to be sworn in for another term as president on Sunday, following what government officials are calling his big victory in Friday's run-off vote.

No final voting results have yet been released, although the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission says the vote count was complete Saturday less than 24 hours after polls closed.  Officials' comments indicate totals will be announced soon.

The state commission waited more than a month before releasing results of the first round of Zimbabwe's presidential election on March 29.  In that vote, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat President Mugabe, although the reported results said he fell short of a majority.

Tsvangirai and many Western governments dismissed this week's run-off as an illegitimate sham, due to the violent suppression of opposition supporters, many of whom were beaten or even killed.  Tsvangirai dropped out of the race last Sunday and urged his backers to boycott the poll.

President Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since the country won independence from Britain in 1980.

An inauguration on Sunday would allow Mr. Mugabe to attend an African Union summit in Egypt Monday as Zimbabwe's newly confirmed leader.

There are conflicting accounts of voter turnout for the run-off, with state media describing it as "massive" and foreign observers saying it was low.  In some areas, witnesses said ruling party militants used threats to force people to vote.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change has claimed at least one small victory, saying it won a special election for a parliamentary seat in the city of Bulawayo.  There has been no word on two other special elections held Friday.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

emailme.gif E-mail This Article
printerfriendly.gif Print Version

  Related Stories
US to Seek UN Resolution Regarding Zimbabwe Election Intimidation
Zimbabwe Vote Count Proceeds; Mugabe Swearing-In Seen Sunday
African Observer: Zimbabweans Voted in Fear, Defaced Ballots
Bush Vows New Action against Zimbabwe Government
 
  Top Story
Bomb Explodes Near US Iraq Ambassador's Convoy

  More Stories
Japanese Prime Minister Calls Snap Elections After Election Loss
Two US Marines Killed in Southern Afghanistan
Kim Jong-il Reported To Have Pancreatic Cancer
Netanyahu Calls for Peace Summit With Palestinian Leaders 
China's Xinijiang Calm as Relatives of Riot Victims Mourn
US Legislators Decry Secret Bush-Era Program
Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour Scrubbed Again
Five Iranians Detained by US in Iraq for 2 Years Return Home
Mexican Police Kill One Gunman in Michoacan Violence
Officials: Maoists Kill 26 Police in Central India
Obama Returns Home From European, African Trip
Alleged Coup Plot Puts Guinean Army on High Alert 
Lithuania Swears In First Woman President
Curfew Lifted in Honduras
Al-Qaida in North Africa Frees Swiss Hostage
Park in the Sky Opens in New York  Audio Clip Available
China Rushing Supplies to Quake-Hit Zone  Audio Clip Available
Thousands Remember Europe's Worst Massacre Since World War II