www.nytimes.com/2002/03/13/international/13CND-ZIMB.html -> www.nytimes.com/2002/03/13/international/13CND-ZIMB.html?ex=1083643200&en=304bb40987cb47d7&ei=5070
H ARARE, Zimbabwe, March 13 President Robert Mugabe was declared the winner of the presidential election today, but the opposition said he stole the victory and vowed not to accept the result. There was also widespread criticism of the election by international observer groups, and United States officials described the vote as deeply flawed. Mugabe after results came in from all 120 voting districts. He said the former guerrilla won his fifth term as leader after taking 1,685,212 votes compared with 1,258,401 for the challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai. The opposition leader said his Movement for Democratic Change would not accept the result. But he added: "We seek no confrontation with the state, because that is what it is looking for. Election observers from neighboring South Africa said Mr. Mugabe's government had ignored its commitment to hold a free and fair poll. Britain, the former colonial power in Zimbabwe, gave no immediate indication what immediate action, if any, it might take in response to Mr. Straw said Britain would next consult with its European Union partners, the United States and the Commonwealth. Zimbabwe's opposition party said dozens of heavily armed soldiers had surrounded its office in Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe. Small groups of armed riot policemen moved into Harare townships loyal to Mr. Interior Minister John Nkomo called the Norwegians "irresponsible" and said the Election Support Network was affiliated with the opposition. Mugabe before the election because of violence during the campaign. New Zealand said today that it was ready to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe if the Commonwealth decided not to suspend the country from the organization after the vote, which it said was clearly manipulated. Mugabe, 78, nurtured and inspired a generation of African leaders and built schools and clinics for the neglected black population here in the 1980s. But when economic hardships and simmering discontent fueled the rise of a formidable opposition party three years ago, Mr. In recent months, his government has jailed journalists and opposition party supporters, and condoned the waves of political violence that have left more than 30 people dead since January. He has also been accused of carrying out a number of administrative changes to disenfranchise opposition party supporters. The government reduced the number of polling places in Harare and in the impoverished suburb of Chitungwiza, areas dominated by opposition party supporters. On Sunday a high court judge ordered the government to extend the voting by one day because only a fraction of the registered voters in those communities had cast their ballots during the original voting days, Saturday and Sunday. But the government opened the polls five hours late on Monday, and foreign observers said the police chased several hundred potential voters from the polls on Monday night.
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