The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Friday released results of the presidential election held on March 29 which show that there was no outright winner.
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction leader Morgan Tsvangirai garnered 47, 9 percent of total votes cast (1 195 562 votes), followed by the incumbent President Robert Mugabe of Zanu PF with 43, 2 percent or 1 079 730 votes.
Independent candidates Simba Makoni and Langton Towungana garnered 8, 3 percent or 207 470 votes and 0, 6 percent or 14 503 votes respectively.
There were 39 975 spoilt papers with the percentage poll standing at 42, 7 percent.
ZEC chief elections officer, Lovemore Sekeramayi told journalists at a press briefing that a presidential run off would be held since no candidate got an outright majority of 51 percent or more.
“Since no candidate has received a majority of the total number of valid votes cast, the provisions of Section 110 (3) of the Electoral Act do apply and a second election shall be held at a date to be advised by the Commission,” he said.
He said President Mugabe and Tsvangirai, being the top two candidates, were eligible to participate in the second election.
ZEC had on Thursday called the candidates or their chief election agents for verification and collation of figures.
President Mugabe, through his agent, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Makoni compared their figures with the Commission while the MDC T indicated that their figures did not tally with those of ZEC.
But on Friday, the MDC Tsvangirai representative Chris Mbanga said he had not been given a chance to verify the figures.
“We are not happy. I was denied an opportunity to verify the figures,” he said.
“They (ZEC) wanted to place the burden of proof on us but then it not for us, it’s for them to prove to us how they arrived at the figures,” he said, adding he would report the matter to his superiors.