Sunday, 4 August 2013

US and UK concern over Zimbabwe vote

The United States of America and the United Kingdom have expressed concerns after Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe won a seventh term in office amid allegations of electoral fraud. US Secretary of State John Kerry said the results did not "represent a credible expression of the people". The UK also expressed "grave concerns" and Foreign Secretary William Hague urged a thorough investigation of all allegations of violations. Robert Mugabe, who is 89, won 61% of the vote according to official figures, beating Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who received 34%. But Mr Tsvangirai rejected the vote as fraudulent and vowed to take legal action. There have been allegations that voters, particularly in rural areas which are seen as more likely to vote for Mr Tsvangirai, were turned away from polling stations. The Zimbabwe Election Support Network, which had 7,000 workers observing the polls, said problems with voter registration left up to one million people unable to cast their ballots, mostly in the urban areas. However, other observer groups, including the African Union - which had 70 observers - said the election was "free and credible".In addition to comments from the US and UK, the European Union - which maintains sanctions on Mr Mugabe and his senior aides - said it worried about "alleged irregularities and reports of incomplete in participation". Robert Mugabe has been president of Zimbabwe since 1987.

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