Robert Mugabe. Photograph by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Lock (USAF)

Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party claims to have won the recent Zimbabwean election with 61% of the vote, but domestic monitors, the UK and US have raised concerns about electoral fraud.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by Morgan Tsvangirai, have rejected the results which gave them 34% of the vote, and have said that they will boycott government institutions and no longer work with Zanu-PF in government. The results would give Mugabe’s Zanu-PF a large majority in parliament, with 158 seats compared to just 49 for the MDC.

Speaking in at a news conferences before the election result was formally announced, Tsvangirai said:

“The fraudulent and stolen election has launched Zimbabwe into a constitutional, political and economic crisis”

Zanu-PF and the MDC have made up an uneasy coalition government since 2009, when they agreed to rule together to stem the violence that broke out after the previous presidential elections that were widely considered fraudulent.

African Union observers have previously described the elections as “free and credible“, and South African president Jacob Zuma issued a statement of “profound congratulations” to Mugabe on his victory.

Domestic monitoring group Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) alongside the UK and US have been less supportive of the results, with the US describing the elections as “deeply flawed” with “substantial electoral irregularities”.

In a statement, British Foreign Minister William Hague said:

“I commend the people of Zimbabwe on holding peaceful elections. However, we have grave concerns over the conduct of the election.”

In a news conference before the presidential result was announced, Mr Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe was “in mourning”.

“The fraudulent and stolen election has launched Zimbabwe into a constitutional, political and economic crisis,” he said.

He said he would produce a dossier of the alleged electoral fraud and he called on Sadc to investigate.

His MDC colleagues had earlier called for a campaign of civil disobedience to isolate Zanu-PF.

Mr Mugabe has been president since 1987. He became prime minister when Zimbabwe won independence from the UK in 1980.