Zimbabwe voters wait for results

As Zimbabwe awaits a final result in its crucial presidential election, the BBC News website revisits voters across the country to get their reaction and predictions.

"Democracy has been gagged,
maimed and tortured
like everything else in this
country"

Farai, Harare

"Zanu-PF is keeping the result because they know they lost" Masiza, Harare "I think Mugabe will use violence in the run-off" Sandra, Bulawayo

"I voted for Mugabe - but I would rather he stepped down" Richard, Hwange "Officials who rigged elections now want change" Cleopas, Marondera

Read the panel's pre-election comments

FARAI, HARARE

Farai, 24, is a student living in the capital,Harare.

On the streets of Harare there is a ratio of three policemen and a soldier to every civilian.

It is a ploy to intimidate citizens.

The atmosphere is very tense and sombre. The disturbing thing is that it is slowly becoming normal.

Democracy has been gagged, maimed and tortured like everything else in this country.

Mugabe is now doing some massive planning and is hellbent on subverting the will of the people.

He is clutching at straws and trying to reduce Tsvangirai's total of 50.3% so there is a run off. He is suceeding in frustrating the voters.

We should brace ourselves for a nastier road ahead. No prizes for guessing his preferred, tried and tested strategy.

Regional leaders have not shown enough concern about the outcome of the polls.

The idea of waiting for Zimbabweans to shape their destiny is naive.

South Africa is doing absolutely nothing. I would implore President Mbeki to call the zebra by its stripes and move faster.

As Zimbabweans what we least need from a caring global village is the deafening silence from those that are closest to us.

We abhore such convenient ignorance from our neighbours.

Mugabe would be only too glad to push the international community into invading us because he has nothing to lose.

I cannot imagine in my wildest of dreams that Mugabe will ever let go of power.

It is difficult to persuade a person who has ruled via the gun barrel to do so via the ballot box.

It is also difficult to know what the MDC should do.

Any confrontation with the regime could lead to a human catastrophe.

The regime is systematically poised to pounce and any provocation from any quarters will yield to known results.

I do not think people will want take to the streets to protest because violence is not the natural fabric Zimbabwe.

We have been pushed to great lengths and the future has never been so unpredictable.

Zimbabwe is tottering on a razor edge.

But I do not think that a "Kenyan situation" will arise.

Political eventualities never seem to replicate identically in different places, but I am sure you will see a Zimbabwean situation arise in Zimbabwe.

MASIZA, HARARE

Masiza (not his real name), 43, is an engineer living and working in Harare.

Morgan Tsvangirai's win in the parliamentary election is good for him, good for the MDC and good for the people of Zimbabwe.

Now we are just waiting for the main result in the presidential election.

Everyone knows what the result will be - a victory for Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC - but Zanu-PF officials are withholding the result because they know they have lost.

It doesn't matter whether Morgan has a slim majority or not just so long as he wins more than 50% of the vote to make sure there is no need for a run-off.

According to exit polls on Saturday, he scored the 50% necessary to take the presidency anyway, so I'm confident there will be no run-off.

People I know who voted MDC are not really anxious. We get on with our work as we wait confidently for the result.

We listen to what the official national broadcaster ZBC is telling us and we compare this with what we know to be true from exit polling and what the election observers said and draw our own conclusions.

I'm expecting a result by Friday.

In the meantime I'm not so sure the MDC and Zanu-PF are discussing a deal with Mugabe.

To be honest I don't care what happens to the old man, just so long as Morgan can take power quickly and get on with putting our house in order and restoring our economy.

That is the only priority.

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RICHARD, HWANGE

Richard, 53, from Hwange in north-western Zimbabwe, works at Zimbabwe's electricity company.

I voted for Mugabe, it was easy, there were no problems at the polling stations at all.

There is no way anybody can rig this election. There were MDC, Zanu-PF and other observers at the polling stations. I saw them myself.

After counting the votes at the station, they are then displayed for everyone to see, and then that same number is announced on the radio.

There are MDC and Zanu-PF people across the country who can compare what they saw at the polling stations with what they hear on the radio.

I'm not sure if Tsvangirai will get enough votes to avoid a run-off. I would rather there wasn't one.

Mugabe was a very popular person, but this election shows he is no longer that popular.

Although 97 seats to 99 shows there are many people who still think he's OK.

But how can you be president without the support of parliament?

Because of that I would rather he stepped down and let the other guy run the country. I mean Tsvangirai.

The other reason I would rather there's no runoff is that elections are very expensive.

We are not in a position to waste money.

I would say this looks like the beginning of the end for Mugabe.

But if the MDC get in, they will have to work very hard to please the Zimbabweans. They are expecting a lot.

Also, I saw an MDC spokesman - on the BBC I think - claiming victory before all the results were in. That was very irresponsible.

However, I don't see problems ahead. We are learned people in Zimbabwe. You can ring me again and see that I was right!

A blood brother of mine is an MDC supporter and one of the local MDC councillors is a cousin of mine. So, we are all interrelated.

I was at work today with some MDC and Zanu-PF supporters.

We were all joking - someone's got to lose and we agreed that the loser will buy a goat to roast.

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SANDRA, BULAWAYO

Sandra (not her real name), 23, is an accountant in Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo.

I voted for Simba Makoni. It only took 40 minutes to vote, so not too bad.

The electoral commission says it is receiving the results very slowly, and that is why it is taking so long to get a result for the presidential poll. They say they are verifying the results.

I don't believe it.

In the past, the results have been announced after only one or two days, so why is it taking a week?

There must be another reason.

The parliamentary results show Mugabe might lose, so the electoral commission is trying to manipulate the result.

I think Morgan Tsvangirai will get more votes than Robert Mugabe, but not more than 50%.

Then, Tsvangirai will have to talk to Arthur Mutambara from the MDC [whose faction gave its support to Zanu-PF candidate, Simba Makoni].

So, I think it will go to a run off, which is the best thing. That's what the constitution says should now happen.

I think Mugabe will use violence in the run off. It is clear to him that he doesn't have the support that he thought he had.

Everyone is waiting for the results, nothing is happening. No one is trading, shops are shut. There is a shortage of bread.

People know that as soon as the results are announced everything will change.

The opposition has promised to work on the economy, so people think prices will come down.

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CLEOPAS, MARONDERA

Cleopas (not his real name), 38, is a church worker in Marondera, about 70km east of the capital, Harare.

I had thought about voting for Simba Makoni before the election but I voted for Morgan Tsvangirai when I realised he had a more realistic chance of winning.

He is the candidate with the best chance of bringing change to the country.

As a result, my wife and I voted for Tsvangirai, as did many people in this area.

People are in a better mood since the results of parliamentary elections were confirmed. Before the results emerged, people were anxious as they feared the results were going to be rigged.

Now we are feeling confident and positive about a win for the MDC in the presidential election.

My own confidence comes from a combination of Wednesday's results and from speaking to army and police officers here.

These officers, who were previously used by Zanu-PF to rig elections, now also want change.

They are paid peanuts and walk around looking poor and they no longer support Zanu-PF.

I also spoke to a government employee who works at the civil court here and she also wants to see an MDC victory.

So if government employees and army and police officials want change, that marks a real change in itself.

It gives me great confidence as we await the result.

I also think that once Zanu-PF supporters see what Morgan Tsvangirai wants to achieve, they will get behind him.

He can unite the country and get it back on its feet. But we will need the help of the international community to get our economy and healthcare system working again.

As for what should happen to President Mugabe, I believe he should be allowed to stay in the country. I would love him to witness the change happening first-hand.

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The readers' panel has been selected from as wide a cross-section as possible and may not be representative of wider public opinion.