HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai claimed Tuesday to have defeated President Robert Mugabe in Saturday's presidential election and called on the longtime leader to respect voters' will.
In his first public appearance since the vote, Tsvangirai endorsed official results released thus far and said any talks on a smooth transition could occur only after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's final announcement of the tally.
The latest figures released by the commission showed Mugabe's ruling party winning 86 parliament seats and Tsvangirai's opposition party winning 85, with five others going to a third party. The outcome of the remaining 34 seats in the 210-seat parliament had yet to be announced.
No official results had yet been posted in the presidential voting, and Tsvangirai said his victory claim was based on a full tally of the results from each polling station by his opposition Movement for Democratic Change. He promised to release the specific tabulations today, ratcheting up pressure on Mugabe, who did not speak publicly Tuesday, to abide by the electoral process.
As the tectonic plates appear to shift in Zimbabwe, the autocratic Mugabe, after 28 years in power, finally looks vulnerable.
Tsvangirai rejected reports of talks on a deal for Mugabe's departure. However, his party is known to be in contact with some military and security figures in a bid to erode Mugabe's support and to win their backing for a transition of power.
"Let's not be influenced by speculation. There are no discussions," Tsvangirai said.
Rumors flying around Harare -- most involving Mugabe's departure, dignified or otherwise -- have chipped away at the president's aura of invincibility.
'Cockerel is in the pot'
Phone text messages were zipping around, some containing tallies of the number of votes Mugabe may have lost by, others gleefully joking that "the Cockerel is in the pot," just waiting to be eaten.
Many Zimbabweans call Mugabe "the Old Man." Others refer to him as Jongwe, which means "the Cockerel" in Shona, derived from the symbol of his ruling ZANU-PF party. Many young professionals in Harare, the capital, refer to him simply as "the Dictator."
ZANU-PF party figures Tuesday privately acknowledged that the best-case scenario in the presidential election was a runoff if neither major party candidate received more than 50% of the vote.
