Zimbabwe Poll: Mugabe's Party Claims Victory

A senior Zanu-PF source has claimed a resounding victory for Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe's presidential and parliamentary elections.

The unnamed senior official said the outcome was already clear and told Reuters news agency: "We've taken this election. We've buried the MDC. We never had any doubt that we were going to win."

The opposition, Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), immediately claimed the elections had been "a monumental fraud" and said it would be holding an emergency meeting later.

"Zimbabweans have been taken for a ride by Zanu-PF and Mugabe, we do not accept it," a senior source told Reuters.

A woman with a child casts her vote in Domboshava, north of Harare

Releasing results early is illegal, and the police had warned they would arrest anybody making premature claims before the official five days the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had said it could take to announce the result.

Riot police took up positions outside the Zanu-PF party's headquarters in central Harare and other key locations in the capital.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) - the country's leading domestic election monitoring agency - said the credibility of the vote was "seriously compromised" by irregularities on polling day.

Officials said urban voters, who mainly favour Mr Tsvangirai, had been turned away from polling stations in their thousands.

Conversely, only a small number had been prevented from voting in the countryside, where President Mugabe has most support.

A police officer keeps watch as Zimbabweans queue to cast their votes

Separate reports claimed key MDC members had lost their seats, even in the capital.

The dispute erupted as polling stations closed and counting got under way amid fears of a repeat of the violence that marred the 2008 election.

To win an outright victory, one of the candidates has to secure more than 50% of the vote.

Half the country's 12.9 million population was eligible to vote at the more than 9,000 polling stations nationwide.

Turnout was high, particularly in urban areas where the polling stations stayed open late into the evening to allow everyone in the queues to cast their votes.

Polling rivals Robert Mugabe (L) and Morgan Tsvangirai cast their votes

The presidential contest pit the incumbent President Mugabe against his main rival Mr Tsvangirai, who his supporters believed a big turnout would favour, blunting the impact of any manipulation of the vote.

Zimbabweans voted in large numbers despite concerns about the credibility of the electoral process, and the vote was relatively peaceful compared to disputed and violent polls in 2008.

However, the fiercely contested election was dogged by claims of intimidation and vote rigging, despite assurances by official poll monitors of "a peaceful, orderly and free and fair vote".

Despite claims of voters being turned away at polling stations and alleged irregularities across several districts, including changes to voters' lists and ballot papers, Mr Tsvangirai's supporters were confident he could win the election.

A ballot paper with the images of all the presidential candidates

It is the third time he has tried to unseat President Mugabe, who denies vote rigging and said he would step down if he failed to extend his 33-year grip on power for another five years.

After voting in Harare's western Highfield township, the 89-year-old, who still has significant support in the country, said he expected to be re-elected.

"We will have lots of things to do to get our economy back on its feet," he said.

Mr Tsvangirai, who has been in an uneasy power-sharing arrangement with President Mugabe for the last four years, cast his ballot in northern Harare.

"We have come to complete the change we have always fought for," he said.

"It is an emotional moment for me but I am filled with a sense of calmness."

In 2005, the contest went to a run-off, and widespread violence forced Mr Tsvangarai to withdraw.

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