HARARE, April 6 -- Zimbabwe's opposition said on Wednesday it had discovered "serious and unaccountable gaps" in vote tallies that prove its charges that President Robert Mugabe's ruling party rigged last week's parliamentary election.
Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said its crushing defeat was hardly surprising because all the country's electoral institutions were controlled by Mugabe loyalists.
In a statement, the MDC said preliminary investigations had revealed gaps between official vote tallies given by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and total votes attributed to candidates in 30 constituencies -- a quarter of the 120 seats contested.
A statement by the U.S. Embassy said there were irregularities in almost the entire process, including vote counting in which police and agents of Mugabe's party "appeared to have made an improper role."
