Zimbabwe poll recount complete

A partial recount of Zimbabwe's disputed presidential election has been completed and verification of the results by the candidates will start tomorrow, an election official said today.

The month-long wait for results from the March 29th election has led to a tense political standoff that has raised fears of bloodshed and drawn opposition accusations that President Robert Mugabe is trying to rig the outcome to keep hold of power.

"Recounting has been completed in those 5 constituencies that remained. I'm getting the information that they are now collating the results, which will be available tomorrow," Zimbabwe Electoral Commission spokesman Utoile Silaigwana said.

"Once this process has been completed, the process of verification of the presidential ballots will also commence tomorrow."

The verification of results by presidential candidates could take up to a week, electoral officials have said.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who says he won an outright majority in the first round of voting and has rejected an expected runoff, urged Mr Mugabe to step down.

"Old man, go and have an honourable exit," Mr Tsvangirai told a news conference in Johannesburg in neighbouring South Africa.

Mr Mugabe's ZANU-PF lost control of parliament for the first time since he took office after independence from Britain in 1980. Now all eyes are on the presidential vote.

A win for Mr Mugabe would deepen the economic collapse of the once prosperous country, political analysts say.

Western powers are likely to pour in aid and investment if victory goes to Mr Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

Mr Tsvangirai accuses Mugabe of using the delay in results to rig victory in a runoff.

© 2008 ireland.com