US: Opposition won Zimbabwe presidential vote
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - April 24, 2008 Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi
Frazer said that Morgan Tsvangirai won the March 29 presidential
race, and that therefore no power-sharing arrangement was needed
with longtime President Robert Mugabe.
"We think in this situation we have a clear victor," she told
reporters. "Morgan Tsvangirai won and perhaps outright, at which
point you don't need a government of national unity. You have to
accept the result."
But she added: "There may need to be a political solution, a
negotiated solution."
Frazer was speaking in South Africa at the start of a visit to
bolster international pressure on Zimbabwe's government. The U.S.
has long been among Mugabe's sharpest critics.
The opposition has claimed that its leader Tsvangirai beat
Mugabe outright. Independent Zimbabwean observers also say
Tsvangirai won, though not by enough to avoid a runoff.
Frazer said she was basing her conclusions on that independent
tally.
Meanwhile, Zimbabweans are still awaiting the results, with the
opposition accusing Mugabe of withholding them while he plots how
to keep power. Mugabe, 82, has led Zimbabwe since independence in
1980.
