By DPA
Harare : A spokesman for Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claimed Wednesday outright win for opposition presidential candidate Morgan Richard Tsvangirai.
Results from last Saturday’s presidential elections confirmed “that Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the next president of the Republic of Zimbabwe without (the need for) a runoff (vote),” Tendai Biti said.
Zimbabwe’s electoral law requires a runoff vote within three weeks of the declaration of election results when the candidates poll less than 50 percent of ballots.
Biti, secretary general of the largest MDC faction led by Tsvangirai, said Tsvangirai had taken 50.3 per cent of the vote, against 43.8 per cent for longtime President Robert Mugabe and 7 per cent for former finance minister Simba Makoni.
The MDC was announcing the results of its own parallel count of votes from the presidential and parliamentary elections, based on results posted outside polling stations nationwide.
The state-controlled Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has not yet issued any results from the presidential vote but state media have been preparing the population for the possibility of a runoff vote between Mugabe and Tsvangirai – a scenario provided for if neither candidate polls more than 50 per cent of the vote.