HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai claimed Tuesday to have defeated longtime President Robert Mugabe in Saturday’s presidential election and called on Mugabe to respect the voters’ will.
In his first public appearance since the vote, Tsvangirai endorsed official results released thus far and said any talks for a smooth transition could occur only after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s announcement of the final results.
The latest figures released by the commission showed Mugabe’s ruling party winning 86 parliament seats and Tsvangirai’s opposition party winning 85, with five other seats going to a third party. No official results were posted in the presidential voting.
As the tectonic plates appear to be tilting in Zimbabwe, the autocratic Mugabe, after 28 years in power, finally looks vulnerable.
Tsvangirai’s victory claim was based on a full tally of the results from each polling station by his opposition Movement for Democratic Change, or MDC. He promised to release the specific tabulations today, ratcheting up pressure on Mugabe to abide by the electoral process.
The opposition leader rejected reports of talks on a deal for Mugabe’s departure. However, his party is known to be in contact with some military and security figures in a bid to peel away Mugabe’s support and win their backing for a transition of power.
Rumors flying around Harare — most involving Mugabe’s departure, dignified or otherwise — have chipped away at his aura of invincibility.
Many Zimbabweans call Mugabe “The Old Man.” Others refer to him as Jongwe, which means “The Cockerel” in Shona, derived from the symbol of his ruling ZANU-PF party. Many young professionals in Harare refer to him simply as “The Dictator.”
ZANU-PF party figures conceded privately Tuesday that the best-case scenario would be a runoff if neither major-party candidate received more than 50 percent of the weekend vote.
One Mugabe ally, who requested anonymity, said the chances of a Mugabe win were “slim.” Analysts said they believed he would face almost certain defeat in a second round.
Even if, against odds, Mugabe defies voters’ will and clings to power with the aid of a coterie of military and security chiefs, many believe Zimbabwe’s failing economy nonetheless would lead to his toppling within a few months.
The combination of poverty, hunger and hyperinflation that has made Zimbabweans’ lives intolerable could result in Mugabe’s perfect storm.
Independent economists predict inflation could reach 500,000 percent by May, and signs are evident of deep, mutinous discontent in the police and military.
Morgan Tsvangirai
Title: President and founder of biggest faction in opposition — Movement for Democratic Change
Born: March 10, 1952, in Zimbabwe, which was then Southern Rhodesia, a British colony
Education: Left high school to help support his family. Graduated from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2001 with diploma in Executive Leaders in Development Program.
Family: Married, with six children
Robert Mugabe
Title: President of Zimbabwe
Born: Feb. 21, 1924, in Zimbabwe, which was then Southern Rhodesia, a British colony
Education: Law degree earned in prison while campaigning for Zimbabwean independence. Led victorious guerrilla war and was elected president when Zimbabwe won independence in 1980.
Family: Married to second wife, with three children. His first wife and their son died of illness.
