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06 April 2008
By Never Kadungure
Nehanda Radio can exclusively reveal that a special unit of the army and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) unit is 'burning midnight oil' while tampering with the presidential ballot papers at the army's KG 6 headquarters.
President Robert Mugabe we are told was comprehensibly beaten by his main rival and MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai without the need for a run-off. The secret operation is meant to take votes from Tsvangirai and place him below the 50 percent threshold.
A highly placed source in the army told us that claims by MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti that Tsvangirai got over 50,3 percent of the vote were in fact lower than the actual figure.
'It is looking like Tsvangirai might have got over 56 percent at the last official count and this is why the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission have been told to stop what they are doing,' the source explained.
Mugabe is now looking at a run-off as his salvation from losing power and the delay in announcing the results is meant to give him time to massage the figures and produce acceptable percentages that would necessitate a secound round of voting.
On Sunday the MDC urged High Court judge Tendai Uchena to force the ZEC to release the figures which were already public knowledge by the 30th of March. ZEC officials however argued the High Court had no jurisdiction to hear the case. A decision is now expected Monday morning.
Mugabe is said to have been deeply embarrassed by the party and his first electoral defeat in 28 years and considered resigning for the good part of last week. First Lady Grace Mugabe was at the forefront of urging him to quit but party zealots expressed concern, 'if the old man left we would be left to face the music,' the source said. never@nehandaradio.com .
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