Ban calls Zimbabwe election flawed

TOKYO, June 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday condemned last week's presidential runoff in Zimbabwe, calling it "deeply flawed."

Long-time Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe garnered 85.5 percent of the vote as the only candidate on the ballot following last week's withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai, who said he could no longer justify putting his supporters in danger.

The run-up to the voting was characterized by violence against Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change supporters following the March 29 election where Tsvangirai won a plurality but not the majority necessary to claim the presidency outright. Mugabe was sworn in Sunday.

"The outcome did not reflect the true and genuine will of the Zimbabwean people or produce a legitimate result," Ban's spokeswoman said in a statement issued in Tokyo where Ban is on an official visit.

"The secretary-general has said repeatedly that conditions were not in place for a free and fair election and observers have confirmed this from the deeply flawed process."

Ban said he hoped the meeting that opened Monday involving the African Union and the Southern African Development Community in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, would come up with a solution.