China hopes Zimbabwean parties accept election results

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Saturday that China hopes political parties in Zimbabwe will accept the results of a recent election. Hua made the remarks in response to a question about China's position on Zimbabwe's general election held on Wednesday. An estimated 6.4 million Zimbabweans went to the polls to elect a president, 210 legislators and nearly 2,000 local councilors. Zimbabwe's incumbent President Robert Mugabe is estimated to have won two-thirds of the votes, a senior member of Mugabe's party said Friday. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), the only authority allowed to release official election results, is still verifying the results. The Chinese government has sent an observer mission to Zimbabwe led by former Chinese envoy on Africa affairs Liu Guijin, Hua said. The mission described the election as peaceful, orderly and credible. Voting proceeded smoothly and votes were cast with enthusiasm, Hua said. China congratulates Zimbabwe for the success of the election, she said, adding that China appreciates the Zimbabwean people's patriotic zeal and independent consciousness. The spokeswoman called on the international community to respect the choice of Zimbabwe's people. She said she hopes Zimbabwe will embark on a new journey toward peace, reconciliation, development and revitalization. Among the 120 parliamentary seats announced, Mugabe's Zimbabwe Africa National Union -- Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) won 77 seats. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party, led by Mugabe's rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, won 43 seats.