According to the results released so far following Saturday’s Zimbabwe general elections, it appears that the government is likely to be defeated. BBC News says that Zanu PF has won 31 seats, with the MDC-Tsvangirai winning 30 and the MDC-Mutambara winning 5, with 144 yet to be declared. However, the MDC claims that it has won 99 seats, compared with 96 for Zanu PF and 15 for other opposition parties. No votes have yet been declared in the presidential election.
The slow release of results has led to speculation that vote rigging will occur. One theory is that the electoral commission will announce that Mr Mugabe has won 52% of the vote, notwithstanding the fact that the opposition claims that Morgan Tsvangarai has won 60% of the vote, compared with 30% for Mr Mugabe. There is currently an air of expectation and suspense. Will the electoral commission announce the real results? And, if he is defeated, will Mr Mugabe accept the verdict of the people?
A large number of uncertainties hang over the future of Zimbabwe. If Mr Mugabe is voted out of office, will the military and police accept the authority of the new government, in the face of public statements made in recent days indicating that they would not? How will the new government go about rescuing the economy from its current inflation rate of 100,000% and unemployment rate of 80%? Will the new government drive out corruption, or will it simply succumb to corruption?