President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party has won the first seat in a recount of 23 disputed parliamentary constituencies, according to a state-run newspaper.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Zanu-PF are locked in an election stalemate over delayed parliamentary results and a possible presidential runoff that has raised fears of widespread violence.
The MDC deprived Zanu-PF of its majority in parliament in a parallel vote on March 29th but there has also been a delay to a partial recount of votes from that poll.
The
Heraldnewspaper reported today that Zanu-PF retained one of the 23 seats being recounted.
The recount could overturn the MDC victory. The opposition and Western governments say it is merely another ploy by Mr Mugabe to steal back the election.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said he won the election outright and accused Mr Mugabe of seeking a runoff to rig victory in the biggest challenge to his 28-year rule.
Mr Tsvangirai has called for African leaders to acknowledge that he won the vote, saying Mr Mugabe would be allowed an honourable exit. Africa's reputation would suffer "serious disrepute" if Mr Mugabe stayed in power, Mr Tsvangirai said in Accra.
Tensions have been rising on the ground since the election. The MDC has accused Zanu-PF of killing 10 of its members and rounding up hundreds, charges denied by the ruling party.
Pro-government commentator Obediah Mukura Mazombwe introduced new uncertainty by suggesting Mugabe should lead a transitional government to end the deadlock while new elections were organised.
He said the solution should be mediated by Zimbabwe's neighbours. But analysts said Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party were pressing ahead with plans for a runoff vote against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
If adopted, Mazombwe's idea would delay even longer any outcome from an electoral process that Zimbabweans hoped would end their misery under an economic collapse that has saddled them with the world's highest inflation rate - 165,000 per cent.
The leader of South Africa's governing party today refused to condemn Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe over his continuing refusal to publish election results.
African National Congress president Jacob Zuma was in London for talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has called on African leaders to withdraw recognition of Mr Mugabe's election regime until election results are
published.
But Mr Zuma told BBC radio that he would not condemn Mr Mugabe's actions and rejected claims that South African President Thabo Mbeki should take a tougher line with Zimbawe. "We are doing something more than anybody else in reality," he said. "Other people are doing absolutely nothing."
Meanwhile, British prime minister Gordon Brown said he would propose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe, joining calls by South Africa's Anglican church leader and Amnesty International. Brown repeated British accusations that Mugabe was trying to rig the elections and said this was "completely unacceptable".