The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai told a press conference on 1 April 2008, three days after the polls , that he had received enough votes to avoid a runoff but avoided stating that he had won the elections.
He said he had exceeded the constitutional requirement to be elected president but said he would wait for the Zimbabwe Election Commission to announce the results and was prepared to wait as long as necessary for the ZEC to do so.
His secretary Tendai Biti said the party would announce its own results the following day.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08HARARE259, SITUATION REPORT: TSVANGIRAI’S STATEMENT ON
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VZCZCXRO0832
OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0259 0930616
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 020616Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2662
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1863
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1986
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0559
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RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1620
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2042
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4473
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1113
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000259
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2018
SUBJECT: SITUATION REPORT: TSVANGIRAI’S STATEMENT ON
ELECTION
REF: HARARE 256 AND PREVIOUS
Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d)
¶1. (U) MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai, making his first
public appearance since the March 29 election, addressed
diplomats and reporters the evening of April 1. In a
statement, Tsvangirai thanked the Zimbabwean people for their
efforts in going to the polls, spoke about the hardships they
had endured, and said Zimbabwe was on a precipice. He then
responded to a number of questions. He said the Zimbabwe
Election Commission (ZEC) had had sufficient time to announce
results, but also said the MDC was willing to wait as long as
necessary for the ZEC to certify and announce results. He
declined to confirm or deny whether the MDC had entered into
talks with president Robert Mugabe; he said the MDC would not
negotiate until the ZEC announced results. Tsvangirai
declined to say he had won but said he had exceeded the
constitutional requirement to be elected president. He then
said he had received a sufficient number of votes to avoid a
runoff. (Comment. Tsvangirai avoided stating he had won,
continously saying he awaited ZEC certification of returns,
to avoid possible legal complications. End Comment.)
¶2. (C) MDC secretary general Tendai Biti told us afterward,
that the ZEC had delayed counting in the presidential race
because it claimed it had not received election forms, signed
by electoral officials at all polling stations, containing
official results. He was mystified as to why the ZEC did not
yet have these forms. Biti also said that a number of MDC
polling agents in Mashonaland Central were refused admission
to polling stations. MDC agents had therefore not witnessed
the counting in these stations; Mashonaland Central therefore
could be a fertile area of voter fraud.
¶3. (SBU) Biti said the MDC would announce its polling
results on April 2 at 10 am.
¶4. (U) The situation remains calm in the city. There are
no expectations of violence during the night.
MCGEE
(55 VIEWS)
