Zimbabwe: Mugabe crowns himself king of Zimbabwe

(SomaliNet) As most of the world rejected the sham election, President Robert Mugabe has crowned himself king of Zimbabwe for another five years.

A Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer team said the run-off presidential election did not reflect the will of the people and that pre-vote conditions impinged on its credibility, as the 84-year-old president was sworn in with pomp and ceremony at State House in Zimbabwean capital Harare on Sunday.

According to SADC, the process leading up to the vote - won by the only candidate, Mugabe, after the opposition\'s Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew, citing violence - did not conform to regional principles and guidelines governing democratic elections.

In Johannesburg South Africa, ANC president Jacob Zuma told the ANC Youth League\'s national conference that the party could not remain quiet when wrong things were taking place in Zimbabwe, as it would be regarded as \"accomplices\".

Although Zuma did not elaborate, his remark should send a strong message to President Thabo Mbeki\'s administration that his own party would find it difficult to recognise the octogenarian.

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said the result \"qualifies for Guinness World Records as joke of the year\".

Election observers gave details of the unusually high number of spoilt votes - 131 481, many with insulting remarks about Mugabe.

It took two days to give Mugabe a victory, after the month needed to announce the result of the March 29 first round.

Chief electoral officer Lovemore Sekeremai declared Mugabe \"the duly elected president\" on Sunday, claiming he had gathered 2 150 269 votes.

Tsvangirai, whose photo was still on the ballot despite withdrawing last week, received 233 000, after being a whisker away from an outright victory in March.

Voter turnout was given as 42,37 percent - similar to that in March.

Pan African Parliament observer mission leader Marwick Khumalo told a press briefing that \"unpalatable messages were written on many of those spoilt ballots\".

He felt \"uncomfortable\" to giving details.

A SADC observer, who declined to be named, told The Star some of the words included \"stupid\" on the photo of Mugabe.

\"Some wrote distasteful things such as \'f**k you\'. They were messages of anger.\"

But Mugabe appeared to offer an olive branch.

\"Indeed it is my hope that, sooner rather than later, we shall as diverse political parties hold consultations towards such serious dialogue as will minimise our difference and enhance the area of unity and co-operation,\" he said in his inauguration speech.

His spokesperson, George Charamba, explained that the invitation was \"done in the spirit of the president\'s wish to reach out. It is a major step towards political engagement.\"-The Star