Seems like Robert Mugabe is on his way to a comfortable victory.





Electoral observers in Zimbabwe have condemned the voting process in the
country's presidential contest as neither free nor fair. Reginald
Matchaba-Hove, chairman of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) - a
coalition of non-governmental organisations - said: "The election is total
confusion and chaos... there is no way these elections can be described as
substantially free and fair."
HAVE YOU VOTED?

I and many others who got to the polling station hours before the official
opening of the station at 0700 only managed to vote late in the night


N Musvoto, Zimbabwe


 <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/newsid_1862000/1862578.stm">Click here to tell us your experiences</A>
He was speaking shortly before election results were announced in the first
two of the country's 120 constituencies. These give President Robert Mugabe
roughly a 27,000-15,000 lead over his main challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai. A
leading MDC official, meanwhile, has been charged with treason in connection
with an alleged plot to kill Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. 'Malicious
propaganda' Thousands of heavily-armed soldiers and police were deployed as
counting got under way on Tuesday, following a third unscheduled day of
voting. Supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
have complained that, despite the extension, many voters were turned away by
police before they had a chance to cast their ballot. Britain, which has been
pushing for sanctions against Mr Mugabe's regime, said there was "pretty
strong evidence" that President Mugabe had "stolen" the election, while
Norway's observer mission said the elections failed to meet international
standards. But Zimbabwean Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said that anyone
criticising the election was "spreading malicious propaganda". Threat of
violence Tension has been high since the polls closed following a 24-hour
extension won by the MDC, with observers and opponents of the government
warning of violence. Mr Matchaba-Hove said that "a flawed electoral process
is a potential cause of conflict", and urged the public "to remain calm but
firm, resolute even after the election results are released.  Welshman Ncube
said the charge against him was politically-motivated



Anticipating an outbreak of trouble, the government positioned armed police
and soldiers in cities, villages and at strategic sites in the Midlands
province. Residential suburbs have been sealed off and a curfew has been
imposed from 1800 local time (1600 GMT) on Tuesday. The first results were
expected later on Tuesday, and the final outcome of the election will be
known on Wednesday. The MDC has warned of an "expression of anger" and said
it will challenge the result in court if its candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, is
not declared the winner.



    Choose a link below for latest news from around the country:  <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1829000/1829835.stm">1. Harare</A>
 <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1829000/1829836.stm">2. Mashonaland </A>
 <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1829000/1829843.stm">3. Matebeleland </A>
 <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1829000/1829842.stm">4. Midlands</A>
 <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1829000/1829845.stm">5. Manicaland</A>
 <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1829000/1829834.stm">6. Masvingo</A>



Correspondents say that, as there were no exit polls, there is no indication
whether Mr Mugabe has survived what is the stiffest challenge so far in his
two decades as president. State-run media has been suggesting Mr Mugabe is
set to defeat Mr Tsvangirai and the three other candidates for president. As
counting began, a court in the capital, Harare, charged the Secretary General
of the MDC, Welshman Ncube, with treason. He had previously been arrested in
February, along with Mr Tsvangirai and another party official, when police
accused all three of treason. Mr Ncube, who was released on bail, said his
arrest was an act of political desperation. "We remain firmly confident [of
victory] otherwise they [the government] would not be in such a state of
panic," he told the Associated Press news agency. Voters 'turned away'
Preliminary figures suggest a turnout of nearly 70% in areas traditionally
loyal to Mr Mugabe, and just below 50% in Harare, which the MDC considers its
stronghold.  Some voters queued for more than 50 hours in vain



But election observers say many people did not have a chance to cast their
votes before polls closed on Monday night. The ZESN said monitors had
confirmed problems at four polling stations when voting was stopped. In the
Harare suburb of Glen Norah, police wielding batons fired tear gas to
disperse 600 people waiting to vote. When ordered to go home, they began
chanting "Change, change, we want to vote!"

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