Mugabe's Party Loses Majority in Parliament

But still no official word on who won the presidential election
By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 2, 2008 5:00 PM CDT
Mugabe's Party Loses Majority in Parliament
An unidentified woman takes care of her sick grandchild in a squatter settlement near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Wednesday, April 2, 2008.   (AP Photo)

Robert Mugabe's party has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the nation's independence in 1980, official election results show. The presidential results, however, remain up in the air. Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has so far won 94 out of 210 parliamentary seats, while opposition parties have taken 105, reports the BBC.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the presidential race with 50.3% of the vote to Mugabe's 43.8%, which would make a runoff election unnecessary. The government has not released official results, however, and it called the MDC's claims "wishful thinking." Meanwhile, a Zanu-PF party official has told the BBC that he fears Mugabe may now be "fatally damaged" by the election. (More Robert Mugabe stories.)

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