My profile:
HARARE, Zimbabwe-- Zimbabwe's main opposition party on Sunday claimed an early lead in elections, including in a rural stronghold of President Robert Mugabe, in an apparent effort to thwart any attempt to rig the vote count.
The head of the Pan-African Parliament observer mission said he was sure most results were known and warned against a delay of an official announcement of the outcome.
The Movement for Democratic Change said party leader Morgan Tsvangirai was leading the presidential race with 67 percent of votes, based on returns from 35 percent of polling stations nationwide. With three-quarters of Zimbabwe's population in rural areas where Mugabe garners most of his support, it was impossible to determine what those figures meant to the race.
Party secretary-general Tendai Biti told a news conference that they based their claim on results from Saturday's balloting posted on the doors of polling stations overnight, which party election agents sent by text messages.
"The people's victory is on course," Biti said Saturday night. "We have absolutely no doubt that we are winning this election."
Police had tried to persuade the opposition leaders not to announce results, arguing it was illegal for anyone other than the Electoral Commission to do so. But the opposition party's lawyers said the information already was public.
Zimbabwe Opposition Claims Early Lead
31 March 2008
The Associated Press
Discussion
Comments
To post comments you must be registered
Comments via Facebook
Most Read
1.
HIV Prevention Falls Short as Funding Ends
Katya moved to Moscow seven years ago and three years later — when she was pregnant with her first child — discovered she was HIV-positive.
2.
Bureaucrats Block Protesting Lego Men
Unprecedented protests have been held across Russia in recent months at which tens of thousands of demonstrators have been allowed to verbally lambaste the government.
3.
General Says Russia Could Use Nuclear Weapons to Keep Country Intact
Russia's armed forces would be within their full rights to use nuclear weapons if any threats to the integrity of the country arise, Russian General Staff head Nikolay Makarov said Wednesday.
4.
Putin's Besieged Fortress
The campaign rhetoric in Russia's presidential election has grown increasingly harsh. This happens in many countries, but the difference with Russia is that "external factors" play a disproportionately greater role in the political process. In most other countries, voters evaluate candidates based on their domestic policies or track records, especially with regard to the economy.
5.
Former Yukos Official Released From Prison
A former senior employee of oil company Yukos was released from prison Wednesday after serving more than seven years on charges of stealing billions of dollars.
6.
Elections Watchdog Golos Forced Out of Office Building
Independent election-monitoring group Golos is moving its Moscow office after its landlord demanded that the group cancel its rental contract early, a move Golos calls illegal.
7.
Report: Sub Fire a Near Nuclear Disaster
Russia came close to nuclear disaster in late December when a blaze engulfed a nuclear-powered submarine carrying atomic weapons, Vlast reported Monday, contradicting official assurances that it was not armed.
8.
Taxing the Robber Barons of the '90s
The situation in Russia has changed so much in recent weeks that the presidential election campaign has almost begun to resemble a real political contest.
9.
Inebriated Officer Loses Control, Job
A drunken traffic cop was busted in Moscow on Wednesday after he hit a parked car while driving a stolen vehicle.
10.
Tehran Is Neither Friend Nor Foe of Moscow
When Russians look at Iran, they see a country that has been their neighbor and rival forever. As the Russian empire advanced, it wrestled the North and South Caucasus from the shah. Peter the Great annexed, briefly, Iran's entire Caspian Sea coastline and put his forces just north of Tehran.
1.
Putin Chasing Imaginary American Ghosts
Here we go again — another round of anti-Americanism from the Kremlin and state-controlled media. Blaming outside forces for Russia's woes has a long history in the country. The closer we get to the March 4 presidential election, the more intense the anti-American hysteria becomes.
2.
Putin Plan Targets Population Drop
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin unveiled his plan on social policy Monday, focusing on how Russia will boost its dwindling population amid a demographic crisis that threatens to turn the country into "void space."
3.
Moscow Is Unlovable and Unlivable
Today's Moscow is unlovable and unlivable, overdeveloped, underserved by public utilities and choked by traffic. You can't drive, you can't breathe, there is no place to park and walking is impossible thanks to giant SUVs lining the sidewalks.
4.
Journalist Booted After Visa Violation
A prominent French writer and journalist has been kicked out of the country on the grounds that she did not have the right to research a book while on a business visa.
5.
Report: United Russia Might Be Dismantled
United Russia, the country's dominant political party for more than a decade, might be radically reformed or even dissolved in the coming months.
6.
Officer on Atomic Submarine Commits Suicide
A senior lieutenant serving on the Gepard atomic submarine, part of the Northern Fleet, hanged himself in his cabin.
7.
Start of Stadium Demolition Draws Outcry
Architectural preservation group Arkhnadzor said Monday that demolition at the constructivist-era Dynamo football stadium as a part of ongoing building work was against the law.
8.
Putin's Campaign Manager Calls Liberals "Filth of the Nation"
Vladimir Putin's campaign manager Stanislav Govorukhin quoted Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin in calling the liberal intelligentsia "the filth of the nation" in an interview published Monday.
9.
Putin Aide: Corruption Was 'Civilized'
Corruption in Russia was "normal" and "civilized" during Vladimir Putin's first stint as president and support for him has grown stronger as a result of recent opposition rallies, the prime minister's campaign manager has boasted.
10.
Moskva Hotel Reopens as Mall
A slew of Moscow real estate players unveiled a reconstructed Moskva Hotel on Tuesday, relaunching the premier Soviet hotel as a commercial center with 70 shops, a department store, underground parking and a hotel.
1.
Election Webcam Installation Begins
In a city that was once the cradle of Russian democracy, an unprecedented new campaign kicked off over the weekend to install web cameras in every polling station around the country in an effort to prevent voting fraud.
2.
Feminist Punk Band Become Unlikely Putin Foil
Pussy Riot, a feminist punk collective from Moscow, creates protest through its dissident songs and unsanctioned performances, including a brief unauthorized concert in late January on Red Square.
3.
Why Putin Will Never, Ever Give Up Power
If Putin gave up power at any age, he and dozens of his friends and colleagues who have become millionaires and billionaires over the past 10 years through their Kremlin-connected businesses could face serious corruption charges. This is why the best, and perhaps only, way for Putin to preserve immunity is to stay in power until death.
4.
Why Putin Is Mad at Me
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin got very angry last Wednesday when he met with the editors-in-chief of Russia's top media outlets.
5.
Russia Seeks Proof U.S. Zapped Failed Probe
A Russian state commission investigating the crash of the Fobos-Grunt Mars probe will conduct tests to see whether U.S. radar played a role in the spacecraft's failure.
6.
Putin Stand-In Faces Zhirinovsky Fire
In Tuesday's second presidential debate of the campaign season, firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky harangued Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's levelheaded proxy over her patron's refusal to debate and alleged desire to rule for life.
7.
Recruiters Say Mother Russia Seeking Talent
Demographics make it a candidate’s market, but foreigners have to offer something unique to find their place.
8.
Pro-Putin Song Is Web Hit
A schmaltzy music video hailing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as Russia's savior became a hit on the Russian Internet on Tuesday, with many bloggers and YouTube users poking fun at the song's hyperbolic lyrics.
9.
From Protest to Nausea
The history of successive authoritarian regimes in Russia reveals a recurring pattern: They do not die from external blows or domestic insurgencies.
10.
Why Putin Is So Scared of Debates
Putin has always been the ultimate "Teflon president" — but certainly not in the Ronald Reagan sense of the word. Putin's brand of Teflon is clearly made in Russia. Because he wants to avoid uncomfortable questions about his decade-long rule, Putin is once again refusing to participate in presidential debates.
