Zimbabwe poll reaction mixed

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Election observers in Zimbabwe are compiling reports on the legitimacy of the Zimbabwe poll which could have wide repercussions for the country.

South Africa and Nigeria have admitted there were flaws in the election but added that Robert Mugabe's victory should be considered legitimate. (Full story)

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said his rival had committed "daylight robbery" to secure the presidency.(Full story)

London and Washington have condemned the electoral process which returned Mugabe to power.

The U.S. is looking at extending sanctions already imposed against Mugabe and his closest advisers.

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Walter Kansteiner, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs, said: "The election process was fundamentally flawed. We believe the people of Zimbabwe was not fairly heard."

The UK, which secured European Union sanctions against Zimbabwe when its chief election observer was deported, was also dismayed.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: "For months the government of Zimbabwe has conducted a systematic campaign of violence and intimidation designed to achieve one outcome, power at all costs.

"It is no surprise this outcome has now been achieved."

Commonwealth sanctions against Zimbabwe are also a possibility. A three-nation team -- Australia, South Africa and Nigeria -- are to look at observer reports before deciding whether there were enough irregularities in the election to warrant sanctions. .(Full story)

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the Australian High Commission in Harare believed some Zimbabweans were denied the opportunity to vote.

But Sam Motsuenyane, the head of the South African Observer Mission, said there were flaws in the process but the election "should be considered legitimate."

Nigerian observers also endorsed Mugabe's election victory in Zimbabwe.

The 16-member Nigerian group said in a statement it had "recorded no incidence that was sufficient to threaten the integrity and outcome of the election, in areas monitored by the team."

The 70-member Southern Africa Development Community Parliamentary Forum condemned the election, but elsewhere in Africa the election was praised.

Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa said: "It was up to the people of Zimbabwe to decide who should lead them, and the people of Zimbabwe have now spoken loudly and clearly.

"It would be a great tragedy for anyone to try and determine the outcome of an African election in Europe. Your firmness was good for all of Africa."

Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi congratulated Mugabe, saying his victory was "testimony of the confidence and high esteem the people of Zimbabwe hold you in."

But in Europe there was widespread concern at the electoral process.

Sweden's foreign minister, Anna Lindh, said the outcome of the election "is a tragic example of how an aging leader, who once fought for freedom, now fights for what he then fought against."

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Francois Rivasseau said: "Along with independent Zimbabwean observers, France notes that this election cannot be considered as substantially free and fair."

In Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Michaelis said: "All information points to the fact it cannot be assumed there were equal chances for the candidates in this election."

In Denmark, Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said the country would close its embassy in Zimbabwe if the reports of electoral fraud turned out to be true.

And Kare Vollan, head of the Norwegian observer team, said there had been flaws with every step of the electoral process from voter registration and campaigning to the actual vote.