Second Round of Voting in The 2008 Zimbabwean Presidential Election - Second Round Voting and Aftermath

Second Round Voting and Aftermath

The second round was held as planned on 27 June, and Tsvangirai's name remained on the ballot. Voting took place over the course of 12 hours, ending at 7 pm. Mugabe and his wife Grace voted in Highfield Township, near Harare, and he said that he was "optimistic upbeat". Tsvangirai denounced the vote, describing it as "an exercise in mass intimidation", and called on other countries to not recognise the results, saying that to do so would mean "denying the will of the Zimbabwean people and standing in the way of a transition that will deliver peace and prosperity".

According to official media, turnout was high and the MDC's call for a boycott was not followed. The Herald described turnout as "massive". There were reports that some people were pressured or forced to vote, as well as reports that voter secrecy was not respected in some places.

The spokesman of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) observer mission, Khalid A. Dahab, said that there was "a lot of tension" and the situation was "not normal". The PAP observer mission also said that there were a substantial number of spoiled ballots and that turnout was "very, very low". The BBC reported that ZANU-PF militias went to homes in townships near Harare to pressure people into voting. According to the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, people were forced to vote in rural areas.

Although results were expected on 28 June, the Electoral Commission announced on that day that they would be delayed so that the collation of votes from some rural areas could be completed. Also on 28 June, Mugabe declared that trends from the results showed him winning overwhelmingly; he said that he had won in all 26 of the constituencies in Harare, despite the MDC's victory there in the first round. Chamisa said on the same day that the election was "an unbelievable sham" and "a farce", and he criticised Mbeki for "acting as a shield for a rogue regime".

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on 29 June that in two Harare neighbourhoods ZANU-PF supporters inflicted beatings on people who did not vote; non-voters were reportedly identified either by the absence of indelible ink on their fingers or by their absence from a list of those who had voted. HRW is part of a network of organisations associated with George Soros, which also includes the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa and Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, parent organisation of the MDC.

The Electoral Commission announced results on 29 June, showing Mugabe with 2,150,269 votes against 233,000 for Tsvangirai, or 85.51% of the vote; turnout was placed at 42.37%, and 131,481 ballots were spoiled. Mugabe was promptly sworn in for another term as President by Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku at State House about an hour after the announcement of results.

Speaking immediately after being sworn in, Mugabe called for "serious dialogue" between political parties to promote greater "unity and cooperation". He also praised Mbeki's role in the situation, saying that the country was "indebted to his untiring efforts to promote harmony and peace", and he thanked "many African states, members of the Non-Aligned Movement, allies and friends in the United Nations Security Council and other progressive movements ... for their unwavering solidarity with us as we continue to face the vicious onslaught by Britain and its allies". Mugabe said that he was "honoured and humbled" by his re-election and pledged that his government would concentrate on empowering the people in all sectors of the economy as part of efforts to "improve the economy and living standards." Furthermore, he expressed satisfaction that, in his view, the electoral process had met "all constitutional requirements". He then left Zimbabwe later on the same day to attend an AU summit in Egypt.

Tsvangirai was invited to Mugabe's swearing in ceremony, but he refused to attend. According to a presidential spokesman, George Charamba, this invitation was extended to Tsvangirai "in the spirit of the president's wish to reach out" and that it was "a major step towards political engagement". The spokesman of the MDC-Mutambara faction, Gabriel Chaibva, attended the ceremony, saying that he expected to be criticised for his presence but that he felt it was necessary to look forward and embrace dialogue.

Biti rejected the possibility of power-sharing on 1 July, saying that by holding the election ZANU-PF had "totally and completely exterminated any prospect of a negotiated settlement". The government also dismissed the possibility on the same day, saying that Zimbabwe could solve its political issues in its own way, without copying the Kenyan power-sharing model.

After the AU called for dialogue between ZANU-PF and the MDC, Mbeki said on 2 July that Mugabe was agreeable to this and expressed his commitment to dialogue. Information Minister Ndlovu also expressed the government's commitment to dialogue and said that the AU's resolution was in line with Mugabe's statements at his inauguration. Tsvangirai, however, rejected dialogue, saying that violence and "persecution" must stop first. He also said that dialogue should lead to the establishment of a transitional government, the creation of a new constitution, and then a new election, rather than merely a national unity government.

On 2 July, CNN reported that 220 Zimbabweans fled to the US Embassy in Harare, seeking refuge from election-related violence. Many of the refugees are supporters of MDC.

Although the AU summit called for dialogue and a national unity government, it declined to adopt the kind of tough measures against Zimbabwe that were favoured by Western countries. Mugabe returned to Zimbabwe on 4 July and was welcomed by a celebratory crowd of about 4,000 at the airport in Harare. Speaking at the airport, he said that dialogue would only be possible if the opposition acknowledged his victory, declaring that the votes of his supporters would "never be thrown away". Chamisa said on the same day that this condition was unacceptable.

Negotiations between the MDC and ZANU-PF regarding the formation of a national unity government began later in July. Human Rights Watch released a report on 12 August 2008 in which it said that at least 163 people had been killed by ZANU-PF supporters throughout the election period and up to the time of the report; 32 of these deaths, according to the report, occurred after the second round, and two of them had occurred after the start of negotiations. The report also said that 5,000 people had been beaten and tortured, and it described criminal charges against 12 elected MDC members of parliament as "politically motivated".

In early August, the Supreme Court ruled that the Electoral Commission's refusal to accept the nomination papers of Zimbabwe People's Party leader Justine Chiota was unlawful. Chiota followed this up by applying to the Supreme Court for the election to be nullified.