Mugabe's Party Claims Victory in Zimbabwe Elections

Called a "total farce" by the prime minister

President Robert Mugabe's party has claimed victory in Zimbabwe's elections by a landslide, while his main rival dismissed it as a "huge farce" and warned that an illegitimate result would plunge the country into a serious crisis.

Final results are not yet published but Zanu-PF said on Thursday it was confident of a resounding victory and state television reported wide gains for the party. By contrast, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which had previously expressed confidence, appeared despondent and attacked the electoral process.

Saviour Kasukuwere, Zanu-PF's youth and indigenisation minister, predicted: "It's a landslide, a total annihilation of the MDC. Their project has completely failed. President Mugabe has won. The villagers in the countryside know the result.