Even in the face of electoral defeat, Robert Mugabe will not go down easily. Using violence again the opposition has been a mainstay of the Mugabe period. After all, his military force has been fed a steady diet of military equipment thanks to the Olympic hosts China so he has the tools to clamp down and maintain control of his collapsing nation.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change claimed a landslide victory and declared its leader Morgan Tsvangirai an outright winner. Spokesman Tendai Biti warned the government against stealing the election, saying: "Zimbabwe is on the edge of a precipice."
He said the people would not accept a faked outcome and vowed "peaceful protests" if his party was denied the win. A cabal of Mr Mugabe's top aides, including six cabinet ministers, the Vice-President and a former intelligence chief, have lost their "safe" seats already.
