US and UK raise concern over Zimbabwe election

By The Citizen

The US and UK have expressed concern after official results from Zimbabwe’s elections gave President Robert Mugabe a seventh term in office amid claims of electoral fraud.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the results did not “represent a credible expression of the people”.

But the regional power South Africa has congratulated Mr Mugabe on his victory.

Mr Mugabe, 89, won 61% of the vote, against Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s 34%.

Robert Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 Mr Tsvangirai, though, rejected the vote for parliament and president as fraudulent and vowed to take legal action.

He said his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would no longer work with Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party and boycott government institutions.

The two parties have been in a coalition since 2009, after the last election sparked widespread violence.

Results from this week’s parliamentary election handed the MDC a defeat. It won just 49 seats compared with Zanu-PF’s 158.

South Africa issued a statement from President Jacob Zuma extending “profound congratulations” to Mr Mugabe following the “successful, harmonised elections”. BBC