Monday morning, and all is pretty much as it was on Friday - there’s been a lot of activity across the weekend, but nothing that got us any closer to getting the results of the Presidential poll.  Let’s start with a handy little visual of the Parliamentary results:

MDC have asked for a recount on one House of Assembly seat, while Zanu-PF are challenging the results of 16 others - enough to give them back their overall majority, if the challenges are successful.  There’s a certain wry amusement that comes from seeing Zanu-PF challenge electoral results on the basis of ‘irregularities’, as they’re usually the cause of them, rather than the victims, but that’s the new world they’re in.  Unfortunately they still have enough clout to influence those challenges - a number of ZEC officials in the constituencies concerned have already been arrested - so you can’t rule out that they’ll get their way.  In the Senate, the combined MDC total would have been higher if they hadn’t split their vote - there are a number of constituencies where the combined MDC vote is higher than the winning Zanu-PF vote - which will hopefully teach both factions a lesson about the value of co-operation.

The Presidential result is what everyone wants to see, though, and both MDC and Zanu-PF have been fighting on that front - MDC to get it released, and Zanu-PF to get it further delayed.  After being prevented from reaching court of Saturday, MDC’s petition to force ZEC to release the results was heard on Sunday.  ZEC opposed on the basis that the High Court does not have jurisdiction to make any such order - judgement has been reserved and is due sometime today.  Meanwhile, Zanu-PF have written to ZEC asking them to delay the result for a “recount and audit”, citing the same irregularities mentioned above.  It appears there may be no legal grounds for such a request - This is Zimbabwe has the legal arguments for that, but in short there’s no provision in the Electoral Act for recounts to be requested in the Presidential vote.  Even if the same procedures laid out for the HoA and Senate votes apply, then a winner must be declared duly elected before a recount can be requested - and, as you know, 9 days down the line we still have no winner.

On the ground, the tension is rising and comments from Zanu-PF and their supporters are getting more inflammatory and worrying - the news articles collected by Zimbabwe Situation give a good flavour, so here’s a sample.  Attention now turns to the High Court, although whatever they rule I’d expect an immediate appeal by the losing party…