Confusion in Zimbabwe as nation awaits election results

Some election observers said results had been known since Saturday night, but they had not been reported to the public as of early Monday morning, raising fears about the legitimacy of the results.

President Mugabe has run the country for 28 years since the end of colonialism. But the economic conditions have deteriorated so dramatically that 80 percent of the population is unemployed, the currency is virtually worthless and inflation is a staggering 100,000 percent, according to news accounts.

Riot police appeared on the streets of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, over the weekend and the state-run Herald newspaper accused the opposition party of "preparing its supporters to engage in violence by pre-empting results, claiming they had won," according to one media report.

Mugabe's main opponents are Morgan Tsvangirai, 55, who barely lost a disputed 2002 election, and former Finance Minister Simba Makoni, 58. If neither candidate wins a majority, a runoff election will be scheduled.