Post date: Aug 01, 2013 12:3:47 PM
Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai dismisses Wednesday's election as a "huge farce" and says the results are invalid.
HARARE, ZIMBABWE (AUGUST 1, 2013) (REUTERS) - Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai dismissed Wednesday's (July 31) election as a "huge farce" and said the results were invalid because of intimidation and ballot-rigging by President Robert Mugabe's ruling party, which is claiming victory.
"Our conclusion has been that this has been a huge farce, the credibility of this election has been mired by administrative and legal violations which affect the legitimacy of the outcome. The election does not meet SADC guidelines, it is a sham election that does not reflect the will of the people," Tsvangirai told a news conference at the headquarters of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) headquarters in Harare."It is our view that this election is null and void, does not meet AU, SADC, international standards for credible, legitimate, free and fair elections. For those MDC-T MPs who are said to have won, this is not the moment to celebrate, this is the moment to be sad."
Zimbabweans voted in large numbers in a fiercely contested election pitting veteran PresidentRobert Mugabe against Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who has vowed to push Africa's oldest leader into retirement after 33 years in power
Both sides had initially forecast landslide wins in a country with a history of election violence.