Zimbabwe vote ‘seriously compromised’

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Zimbabwe election observers said Thursday that the country’s crunch vote was “seriously compromised,” citing a slew of problems that questioned a claim of victory by President Robert Mugabe’s allies.

“Up to a million voters were disenfranchised,” said Solomon Zwana the chairman of Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN). “The election is seriously compromised.”

Mugabe’s allies have claimed an “emphatic” victory in both presidential and parliamentary elections.

The vote had passed off without widespread violence Wednesday, but Mugabe’s critics have accused him of silently rigging the vote to ensure his 33-year-rule is extended.

Persistent doubts about the reliability of the voters’ roll have led to allegations that many of Morgan Tsvangirai’s supporters were stricken from the list while Mugabe’s support was inflated by “ghost” and duplicate voters.

Unofficial results appear to show that Mugabe did surprisingly well in urban areas, where he normally falls flat.

Voting was said to be brisk across the country.

“Although the pre-election period was calm and peaceful, there are many other critical factors that can undermine the credibility of the entire electoral process,” the ZESN said.

The group said it had deployed 7,000 observers across the country.